iTeach Schools extends its collaboration with Credit Suisse for another 3 years to support 1300+ underprivileged students

We are pleased to announce that Credit Suisse has renewed its commitment to iTeach Schools for another three years, to support underprivileged students at three schools in Pune. These schools are iTeach BJR (Babu Jagjeevan Ram EMSS), iTeach KRJ (Keshav Rao Jedhe EMSS), and iTeach SVT (Swargeeya Vitthal Tupe Smart Learning EMSS), and have a total capacity of educating 680 students annually. Since the inception of the collaboration between Credit Suisse and iTeach Schools in 2018, more than 3,800 students across iTeach schools will benefit.  

iTeach Schools runs tuition-free secondary schools (for grades 8 -10) in partnership with the Pune Municipal  Corporation and corporates, with the aim to empower children from the most under-resourced communities with a  sound education that will lay the path to a positive future. Close to 100% of the students attending the iTeach Schools have cleared the SSC Board grade 10 exams. 

In the Class of 2020, the batch of students who graduated during the pandemic, every student cleared the examination, with an impressive  85% of the class scoring 60% or above and all students scoring above the 50% mark. Moreover, many iTeach Schools students are enrolled in some of the most prestigious colleges in India such as Ashoka  University, KREA University, Shiv Nadar University, FLAME University, and Indian School of Design and  Innovation, among others.  

Soumya Jain, Founder, and CEO, iTeach Schools, said, “Empowering the poorest youth in our society to build a destiny of their choice in the face of innumerable challenges is not an easy feat. It can take years to see an impact, especially in schools where the work involves building skills and changing mindsets in students. Credit Suisse has been with us on this journey for the past three years and will continue to be there for at least the next three years as well. It is humbling that, together, we can support so many families to access quality secondary education, with their children entering the best colleges in the country. These  students will go on to impact and inspire so many others.” 

John Burns, Head of IT India, and Senior Franchise Officer, Credit Suisse, Pune, commented, “We appreciate the impact that the iTeach Schools team has made on the most under-resourced communities in Pune. The remarkable results and scores of young individuals that have graduated from the schools we  support, year on year, has been truly gratifying and we are pleased to extend our support to iTeach Schools  for another three years.”  

Ashish Gupta, Chair of the India Philanthropy Committee, Credit Suisse, said, “The iTeach Schools  Program is a valued part of the corporate citizenship initiatives that Credit Suisse has undertaken in India over the years. The long-term impact of the collaboration is already visible, with iTeach students enrolled in the best colleges in the country. At Credit Suisse, we aim to build  

an inclusive future for the communities we operate in and working with organizations such 

as iTeach Schools ensures that we move closer to this goal. We are excited to see the impact 

we can achieve together over the next three years.”  The program is in line with Credit Suisse’s corporate citizenship strategy to build a more inclusive future where all people can access the required resources to develop the financial, entrepreneurial, and other skills needed to thrive in today’s economy and society. In India, Credit Suisse actively supports corporate social responsibility initiatives focused on education, future skills, financial education and inclusion, and environment and community development through multi-year grants.

A core part of Credit Suisse’s strategy is to closely partner with the social organizations that the bank supports, to help them build their capacity by leveraging the time and skills of Credit Suisse staff volunteers. The enthusiasm and commitment of  Credit Suisse’s staff to volunteer with its partners is a strong cornerstone of the impact that the bank is able to achieve. 

About iTeach Schools 

None of the 54 English medium government schools in Pune goes beyond Grade 7. With students not being able to afford private schools, this leads to a huge dropout and gives the poorest students of the city virtually no chance at attending college or building a career. iTeach Schools was born to wage war on this problem. We are on a mission to create a community of free, transformational schools for the most-under resourced children in Pune.  

Our schools function in PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model - the government provides the infrastructure and requisite permissions, funding partners (like Credit Suisse, Bajaj, Eaton, Cybage, Forbes Marshall, Thermax,  etc.) provide financial support to manage the school operations end to end.  

When a student in our feeder government schools finishes Grade 7, they enrol for Grades 8 - 10 with us,  with no selection bias. Our College to Career Program then supports these students to complete college,  and start off with sustainable employment. Since 2015, iTeach Schools have expanded to 9 schools and are serving 1600 students and 900 alumni, with a team of 170 full-time staff members.