Page 58 - March EW PDF 24

People

Kishor, a computer programmer and manufactured from solid
later co-founder of Smiling Star Ad- waste. Moreover, iLEAD
visory Pvt. Ltd, we created a website was recognised as the
and began conducting seminars in second most eco-friendly
schools to spread awareness about building in the country by
Buddy4Study.com,” recalls Burnwal. the Housing and Urban
Until 2016, Burnwal and Raj Development Corporation
Kishor self-funded the venture with Limited (HUDCO).
an initial capital investment of Rs.60 In 2010, the PS Group
lakh. In 2015, the company got a big promoted iLEAD to pro-
break with the Paris-based L’Oreal vide world-class business
Foundation commissioning Bud- management and science
dy4Study.com to manage its entire education at affordable
scholarships programme. Currently, cost. “Our objective was
the company manages the scholar- Chopra (centre): new-age study programmes to build an affordable
ship programmes of 150 organisa- B-school in Kolkata as a
tions charging them 5-15 percent of PS Group — established with a capi- model education institution,” says
the scholarship amount. tal outlay of Rs.50 crore and built Chopra.
Future plans. For fiscal 2024-25, over a 175,000 sq ft campus. Direct talk. “The job market is im-
Burnwal has set a target of facilitat- iLEAD has an aggregate enrol- proving in West Bengal, especially
ing scholarships valued at Rs.180 ment of 2,029 students and 64 in advanced industries. But there
crore for 60,000 school and col- faculty, and offers 23 affordable new is a dearth of professionals in these
lege students. Simultaneously, he age undergrad and three postgrad sectors of the economy. Our students
is determined to expand the mis- study programmes in business man- have an edge in these sectors because
sion of Buddy4Study.com to enable agement, science and humanities of their robust and holistic training
school-leavers to access education (annual tuition fee: Rs.100,000). provided by iLEAD,” says Chopra.
loans. “Buddy4Study has devised Newspeg. With the National Educa- This assertion is supported by the
the concept of a revolving fund, tion Policy (NEP) 2020 strongly institute’s placements record. Every
established by donors including our advocating experiential learning, year 75 percent of graduates are
alumni. This fund will guarantee the Chopra was inspired to build futur- successfully recruited by blue-chip
loans of students from EWS (eco- istic youth hostels to enable students corporations such as PwC, TCS, Air-
nomically weaker section) families. to learn through affordable domestic tel, Eskay Movies, Adani, Reliance,
Our ultimate objective is to ensure tourism. Stanford Seed, ITC, Zolo Stays, Brit-
that all students are able to access “Youth hostels built by the Central ish Telecom and Everest Industries.
education of their choice by way of and state governments are neither Future plans. In January, iLEAD
scholarships and affordably priced well-designed nor well-maintained. introduced The Stanford Seed
loans. To reach the goal of a $30 tril- Looking at this demand-supply gap, Transformation Program (SSTP) to
lion economy by the centenary year we have decided to invest Rs.12 strengthen its business model, and
of India’s freedom, we urgently need crore to construct youth hostels of has set its sights on transforming
to improve the quality of our human high quality. Two such hostels, one into a fully-fledged university with
capital,” says this intelligent inno- at Murshidabad, once the capital of an aggregate enrolment of 5,000
vator who combines business with Bengal during Mughal rule, and the students by 2026. “Under SSTP, we
philanthropy. second one in the Sundarbans — the will introduce business transforma-
Autar Nehru (Delhi) world’s largest mangrove forest — tion workshops and modules for top
are under construction and will be management to mid-level executives
iLEAD pioneer completed in 2025,” says Chopra. working in HR, accounts and other
departments of iLEAD to prepare
History. A chemistry graduate of St.
Xavier’s College, Kolkata, Chopra them for the transformation. This
o-founder of the Kolkata- began his career assembling televi- state has hitherto been a laggard in
based PS Group of Companies sion sets and manufacturing plastic industry development. We intend to
Cwith interests in real estate, goods. In the millennium year, he play a major role in Bengal’s restora-
PRADIP CHOPRA is also chairman of was awarded the prestigious Plas- tion to its former glory of the 18th
the Institute of Leadership Entrepre- ticon 2000 award of Plast Indian and 19th centuries,” says Chopra.
neurship & Development (iLEAD, Foundation for developing Eco-wud, God speed!
estb.2010) — a CSR initiative of the an eco-friendly wood substitute Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)

58 EDUCATIONWORLD MARCH 2024