Corning India today celebrated the opening of a new building for Varale ZP School in Pune, India, constructed through the efforts of Corning as part of its community outreach activities. The school, located about 1 mile from Corning’s optical fibre manufacturing facility in Pune, will house more than 90 students from classes first through fourth.
Attending the opening celebration were Indira Aswar, Sharad Buttepatil and Sanjay Naikade from the Zilha Parishad Pune District; Baby-tai Buttepatil, Sagar Andre and Vishwas Buttepatil from the Grampanchayat Varale; and Amit Bansal, Managing Director of Corning India. The event also featured a performance by some of the school’s students. The new school building replaces a deteriorating 30-year-old structure that housed about 58 students.
“At Corning, we strive every day to make a positive difference in the world by preserving our environment, engaging in responsible business and manufacturing processes, and most importantly, supporting our people and the communities in which we operate,” Bansal said. “We believe that a commitment to positive environmental, social, and governance-related business practices helps us strengthen our company, maintain the trust of our stakeholders, and better serve our customers and the community.”
“Our association with Corning goes back many years. We are thankful to Corning for their continued support towards the students’ education at Varale ZP School,” said Sharad Buttepatil from the Zilha Parishad, Pune District. “Education is the foundation of learning and knowledge for tomorrow’s leaders, and the new school building will further make elementary-level education accessible and inclusive for students from the local community.”
In its long-term association with Varale ZP School, Corning previously contributed e-learning facilities and a water filtration system. For the latest project, Corning collaborated with school authorities in designing the new building to provide a holistic, creative and stimulating environment for students. Plans are underway by Corning to expand the school for higher classes within the next couple of years.
Corning Incorporated began operations in India in the late 1980s and established its fibre manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune, in 2012. Since then, Corning has undertaken sustainability initiatives in education, sanitation and water conservation, energy conservation and environmental sustainability at its plant and within the local communities, to improve overall quality of life. Corning India also operates Corning Research Centre India, Corning Advanced Flow Reactor Lab and Corning Finolex Optical Fibre Private Limited JV at Chakan.