The gift of learning

SINGAPORE - The Indian Business-leaders’ Rountable (IBR) on March 22 presented the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) with $307,000 to assist in SINDA’s e-learning initiatives. This amount was raised at the IBR Fundraiser 2014, which featured fusion concerts by acclaimed Indian violinist L. Subramaniam and his wife, and renowned singer Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam.

Senior Minister of State for Law and Education and SINDA president Indranee Rajah said: “I am thankful to the members of the IBR for adopting SINDA’s e-learning cause and organising this fundraiser. The contributions will enable SINDA to acquire and implement technology-based pedagogy to enhance the educational experience of our students.”

The IBR, formed by SINDA in February 2011, consists of respected Indian business leaders and professionals based in Singapore, who contribute their expertise, networks and advice to the local community.

There are currently 89 members from the consulting, banking and finance, investment, manufacturing and communications industries.

The money raised from this event will go towards underwriting the cost of SINDA’s subscription to the HeyMath! portal for a period of three years.

HeyMath!, an interactive digital online math-teaching tool that has shown positive results in over 50 countries, is also being used in several Singapore schools. It aims to dispel the fear of mathematics, with bite-sized animated and interactive explanations that provide concept clarification visually.

Thanking their two gold sponsors, HSBC Singapore and 2a technologies, IBR chairman and executive chairman of Apex Avalon Consulting Girija Pande said: “To date, IBR has raised about $500,000. Today’s event is our first dedicated fundraiser to help SINDA acquire a modern, versatile learning tool for children to use in its tuition centers.

“What better ‘vidya daan’ or the gift of knowledge from IBR than to support the best in class digitised e-learning platform which would provide underprivileged children a very interesting way to learn maths. We aim to do this by making the e-learning platform HeyMath! available for the SINDA children.”

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and chairman of the SINDA board of trustees Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was also the guest of honour for the event, said: “Thank you to all the council members who took time and ‘opened your wallets and opened your hearts’. When we think about integration, it involves many dimensions.

“It is good for those who are well-off to contribute back some. It’s even better when you take an interest in individuals in the society you are in and understand that society as well as possible. And we do it because we create a better society. But we also do it because we find that it is so much more enriching for ourselves as citizens, as members of that society, because at the end of the day, we are what we are because of what we are together.

“All these little initiatives that you take is what motivates us. I look forward to your continuing commitment, engagement, little ways of helping individuals or families who can do with support and that extra push. It all makes life so much more worth living.”

Gayathri Ramesh

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