Stars walk the ramp for education cause

Hyderabad: The who’s who of the city was present at a fashion show organised by the Teach for Change initiative at a star hotel here on Friday to raise funds for textbooks being sourced from Cambridge University. The initiative is supported by Deccan Chronicle. Hundreds of enthusiasts from different fields were present to support the cause for better education for the deprived children.

Badminton ace Saina Nehwal, actresses Dia Mirza, Lakshmi Manchu and Adah Sharma, theatre personality Dolly Thakore, IT minister K.T. Rama Rao, designer Shilpa Reddy, and Karuna Gopal of FFC walked the ramp with kids from 10 government schools.

Dolly Thakore also introduced the “Edu Beam” — a satellite-based educative link that is being tested in Mumbai’s municipal schools. “There is always a lacuna in what government does for its state. And such initiatives bring to light a few issues. The Telangana government will certainly give special attention to the field of education and will introduce innovation in learning,” said Mr Rama Rao.

“India must learn from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Finland and Taiwan, which have adopted groundbreaking techniques in the field of education — like using information communication technology, teaching life and nature, using iPads etc. — now that the World Bank has allotted a billion dollars for education,” said Ms Karuna Gopal, president, Foundation for Futuristic Cities (FFC).

In a bid to add a comprehensive value addition, the Teach for Change initiative has adopted 10 government schools across the city to provide critical inputs in the areas of English learning and leadership qualities.