Azim Premji, the chairman of the software major Wipro technologies, is planning to start two free schools in every district in the country. The third richest Indian who is running the Azim Premji Foundation (APF) on his own money is all prepared for this noble cause. Nearly1300 free schools, will be started allover the country, with two schools per district, thereby imparting free education in the native language and be associated with the state boards.

If the proposal gets implemented, then the country’s dysfunctional public education systems has to hung its head in shame, and also make other affluent business moguls, to see beyond their own status of accumulating money and fame.

The APF schools will in the line with the government schools ranging from preschools to class 12, the only difference being in quality. Mr. Azim Premji asserted that the quality education is the basis for a country to get evolved into a developed nation and that classroom is the ultimate crucibles for learning.

The plan to start 1300 schools came after the foundation reviewed its work form 2001, the year in which the foundation was established. The CEO of the APF, Mr. Dileep Ranjekar said, that they sensed the requirement to modify from the program intervention to institution building.

The Rs.9000 crore project will emphasize on the overall development of the school students including the physical condition and nourishment. The foundation will start schools in areas, where education is not provided properly and could not contend with the prevailing schools. Initially the foundation will start seven schools in the sates of Karnataka, Uttarkhand, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The foundation hopes that if everything goes well as per their plan, then all the 1300 schools will function by the year 2025.

The foundation plans to recruit teachers for their schools from the rural areas, but will be only enrolled on staff, only after passing though their written tests and interviews.