Dehradun, December 17, 2020: As part of the Honeywell Safe Schools programme, Honeywell, a Fortune 100 leading technology company, and the Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS), a leading not-for-profit organisation, restored, repaired, and retrofitted 15 state government schools in Dehradun and Hardiwar, and handed them over to Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Hon’bleChief Minister of Uttarakhand. Honeywell Safe Schools is a pioneering school safety programme, which is part of the multinational company’s CSR efforts in the region.
While schools have remained shut during the ongoing pandemic, disrupting the regular CSR outreach programme, Honeywell and SEEDS focused on making school infrastructure safer for students and teachers when they eventually return.
SEEDS engaged architects and engineers to strengthen the structure of these school buildings through repairs, retrofits and refurbishments. Experts were also brought in to create a learning environment that is informative, engaging, comfortable, and disabled-friendly. The renovation efforts focused on creating an environment that not only encourages learning but also brings together the community at large.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, said, “Our state is well known for schools and educational institutes. I would like to commend Honeywell and SEEDS for taking up the responsibility of creating a safer environment for our students and teachers. If we can ensure safety today then the future can be made safe too! I applaud the initiatives taken by SEEDS through Honeywell Safe Schools programme and assure our consistent support for its progress.”
Dr Manu Gupta, Co-Founder, SEEDS said, “At SEEDS, we thrive on building resilient communities through comprehensive interventions in the area of education, health, disaster recovery, response, and preparedness. Under the Honeywell Safe Schools programme, we create safe, conducive school environments that will encourage students to explore more, empowering them to become the change agents of tomorrow.”
Dr Akshay Bellare, President Honeywell India, said, “As a global leader in technologies that create safe and secure living and working spaces, Honeywell is pleased to extend our commitment to building safer school environments in the communities we serve in Uttarakhand.”
The Honeywell Safe Schools programme adheres to the National School Safety Policy (NSSP) Guidelines, 2016, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines, and the ASEAN School Safety Initiative. These frameworks define the essentials of school safety and the importance of building a safe environment for children. Piloted in Delhi in 2017, the Honeywell Safe Schools programme has already trained more than 69,000 students, 48,000 parents, and 4,500 teachers in 155 schools across Delhi and Uttarakhand.
