Virendra Singh, is the Founder of Pardada Pardadi Educational Society (PPES) in Bichola, UP. The mission of PPES is to socially empower rural girls and women through education and vocations.
In 1963, after his post-graduation in the US, Mr Singh joined DuPont. He was transferred to Asia in 1989, and retired as the head of DuPont, South Asia, in 2000. Through his working life, Mr Singh was haunted by a question: How to bring dignity to girls and women in rural communities?
In Anoopshahr, where Sam grew up, girls were never sent to school, for fear of them being raped. Instead, they were restricted to home and farm chores. Worse, they were treated as necessary 'evils'... ate only what their privileged brothers left over. If their brothers ate well finishing all that was cooked, the girls had no option but to go to sleep hungry! And as soon as they reached puberty, they were married off!
In his search, he stayed at the Dalai Lama School in Dharamshala. As a result, Mr Singh conceived the PPES model, consistent with the Dharamshala philosophy. Mr Singh. Driven by principle centered values.
The first batch in the PPES school enrolled forty five girls. Only thirteen remained till the year-end. His challenge: Mothers feared their educated daughters will not find husbands. Mr Singh chose to dream tougher. Apart from free uniforms, books, three daily meals, and transportation, PPES commenced offering a scholarship of ten rupees, from the sixth grade onwards, for each day’s attendance. And if they stay unmarried when they reach their 18th birthday, they are rewarded with a scholarship of ₹ 40,000/-.To date, only one girl has forfeited that reward!
He also included computer science, English, art, and current affairs into the curriculum. His strategy: Confidence and dignity for the girl child. To date, two hundred and twenty seven girls have graduated.
The PPES also supports girls for higher education in universities. Some are training to be nurses, or fashion designers, or computer programmers. Mr Singh. The visionary with a missionary zeal.
PPES also shoulders social responsibility through innovative programs, such as gifting bicycles to girls, constructing individual toilets at the homes of the girls, community toilets for villagers, manufacturing sanitary napkins. The quality of his innovative ideas is noteworthy.
Mr Singh is unstoppable. He has shepherded PPES into the arena of rural development. Some of the initiatives are self-help groups for women, rural BPO, dairy cooperative, and micro enterprises. Always addressing the quality of life of the girl child.
We congratulate Virendra Singh. Our Qimpro Gold Standard 2015 for Education.