Calderys has inaugurated on September 22, a brand-new building for its second school in Wankaner - in the Gujarat state of India in the presence of Shri Jitubhai Somani, - a member of legislative Assembly from Wankaner, Shri G.T. Pandya - District Collector of Morbi, Michel Cornelissen - President and Chief Executive Officer of the Calderys Group, Ish Mohan Garg - Senior Vice President Asia Pacific region, as well as Gujarat Government Officials.
The new building, includes 13 classrooms from Nursery to Class 10, and hosts state-of-the-art academic spaces with dedicated Science laboratories, IT centers, a playground and all other amenities following the standards of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the national education body. At full capacity, the school will welcome 500 students by 2026.
The Wankaner Calderys DAV school is the second school opened by Calderys and the D.A.V. College Managing Committee (DAV CMC), a renowned non-governmental educational organization in India overseeing more than 900 schools, 75 colleges and one university.
The first school was opened in 1995 by Calderys and the DAV CMC in Katni, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Today it counts more than 1,000 students from the local communities.
When Calderys started its plant in Wankaner in 2015, there was no English medium school in the city, and therefore most of the parents had to send their children to the city of Rajkot, 65 km away from Wankaner. “At the time of the opening of our Wankaner plant, the educational landscape of the area was a barrier to attract and retain talent”, says Satyendra Kumar, Industrial Operations Director of Calderys South West Asia, “we did not want our employees to have to choose between a good job and their children’s education”.
With this in mind and in line with its commitment to having a positive impact wherever it does business, Calderys decided to open an English medium Central Board School in Wankaner in a rented building in order to provide high quality education to the children of its employees, as well as to the local community.
“We believe in the transformative power of education”, says Ish Mohan Garg, Senior Vice President APAC of the Calderys Group and Managing Director of Calderys in India. “Our first school in Katni has been a success since the very beginning. Having had the opportunity to open, and now expand, this second school is an immense source of pride”.
This new school started with 33 students in April 2020. Since then, it has steadily grown notably thanks to the dedication of the teaching team. This year, the total school enrolment has increased to 190 students and the aim is to welcome 500 students by 2026.
Michel Cornelissen, Calderys’ President and CEO, comments: “This initiative is fully aligned with Calderys’ commitment towards its people and local communities. It reflects our engagement towards education here in India, not only for our employees’ children but for the benefit of the larger community”.
Ish Mohan Garg concludes “We often hear about the global learning crisis. With our initiatives around education, especially with our two schools in the country, we demonstrate tangibly our engagement to foster children’s access to quality education. At the same time we facilitate the parents' work opportunities at Calderys in India. This is a virtuous circle that has proven its success over the past years.”
For more information, please contact: Sophie de Vedrines sophie.devedrines(at)calderys.com
About Calderys
Calderys is a leading global provider for industries operating in high-temperature conditions. The Group specializes in thermal protection for industrial equipment with a wide range of refractory products and advanced solutions to enhance steel casting, metallurgical fluxes, and molding processes. With a presence in more than 30 countries and a strong footprint in the Americas through the brand HWI (HarbisonWalker International), Calderys’ international network of experts ensures an end-to-end offer with tailored services. Drawing on over 150 years of experience, Calderys supports its customers in their energy transition needs. Headquartered in Paris, France, the Group counts more than 6,500 employees and contractors and 50 plants on five continents.
For more information, visit www.calderys.com
