Road to School Programme By The Flagship Of Hinduja Group, Ashok Leyland Wins Changemaker Award, Aims To Impact 1 Million Students By 2030

Ashok Leyland's pioneering Road to School (RTS) initiative has been honored with businessline's prestigious Changemaker Award in the newly introduced Chairperson’s Award category. This accolade recognizes the company's unwavering commitment to improving education in government primary schools across some of India's most remote districts.

Originally launched in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district with just 36 schools, the RTS programme has since expanded to 2,400 schools, positively impacting over 2,30,000 students across five states—Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam. The initiative has also reached schools in Alwar, Rajasthan, and Bhandara, Maharashtra, further broadening its scope and influence.

The programme was created to address learning gaps in primary education, focusing on remedial classes, foundational literacy and numeracy, hygiene and wellness promotion, and fostering creativity through the arts.

Mr. Shenu Agarwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ashok Leyland, expressed his pride in the RTS programme’s growth, "The Road to School programme is in its ninth year now. We started small with 30 odd schools and now we are very proud to have reached 2,400 schools spread across six States and we have partnered with more than 3,00,000 students." he shared.

Namrata Hinduja, steering committee member for Hinduja Foundation, added, "Education is the bedrock of progress, and initiatives like RTS along with Hinduja Foundation align with our vision of nurturing young minds for a brighter tomorrow. We believe in giving back to the community, and this programme is a testament to our commitment to shaping India’s future generation."

Ashok Leyland’s long-term goal is to extend the RTS programme to even more states, including one of the Northeastern regions, targeting government schools from classes I to VIII. The company's dedication to reaching one million students by 2030 is a significant milestone that will continue to positively impact young learners across the nation.