Investment in learning: promoting quality school education through corporate social responsibility

Corporate social responsibility - mandatory for specified companies as of April 2014 under the Companies Act, 2013 - has the potential to catalyse significant and much needed improvement in India’s school education system. One of the 10 approved areas for CSR notified under Schedule VII of the Act is “promoting education, including special education and employment enhancing vocational skills, especially among children, women, elderly, and the differently abled and livelihood enhancement projects”. This brief aims to guide companies who are preparing or revising their CSR policies on how to catalyse innovations in education quality. Companies will need to look beyond infrastructure to bring about this change. The brief highlights key interventions that can have a powerful impact on student learning and offers suggestions to help corporates maximise the impact of their CSR.