A Better School Journey Through Sport

Ashok Leyland, one of the flagship companies of the Hinduja Group and a globally renowned automobile solutions provider, has manufacturing units in Hosur, Chennai and Namakkal.

These industrial towns in Tamil Nadu are home to small, medium and large-scale industries that depend on a strong pipeline of skilled and semi-skilled workers. Improving the quality of primary and secondary education is therefore critical to creating well-educated youth and supporting long-term development in these communities.

In association with the Government of Tamil Nadu’s Department of Education, Ashok Leyland decided to focus on improving primary and middle-school education in government schools located in and around its manufacturing units.

Key Objectives

The Road To School initiative was designed to:

• Enhance learning for primary and middle-school students
• Nurture both scholastic and co-scholastic development
• Support holistic child development across health, hygiene, physical and emotional wellbeing
• Create a scalable model that can be implemented in government schools

Our Contribution: Sport For Change

Sportz Village Foundation contributed through its pioneering Sport For Change structured sports programme.

The programme was implemented across Hosur, Namakkal and Chennai in Tamil Nadu, reaching 34,000 children across 391 government-run schools.

Sport For Change uses structured physical activity and sports education to support children at different stages of their school journey, while contributing to broader outcomes in health, education, empowerment and livelihood.

Focus Areas and Impact Indicators

Health

The programme tracks fitness and skill levels, student health indicators and behavioural feedback.

Education

Key education-related indicators include average attendance levels, school dropout rates and student behaviour.

Empowerment

The programme also focuses on social-emotional competence, personality development and positive behaviour among children.

Livelihood

At higher stages of education, outcomes can include qualifying test results for certification and placement rates within a year of graduation.

Impact of Sport For Change

The initiative demonstrated positive outcomes in both learning behaviour and physical fitness.

Learning and Behaviour

Children showed improvements in:

• Attendance and reduced dropouts
• Discipline
• Social interaction and teamwork

Physical Fitness

The programme recorded improvements across several fitness parameters:

• Aerobic capacity increased by 8%
• Anaerobic capacity increased by 2%
• Abdominal or core strength increased by 1%
• Flexibility increased by 1%
• Upper body strength increased by 4%
• Lower body strength increased by 9%

A Shared Vision for Better Education

“As part of our vision of improving the quality of education in TN government schools, we felt introducing sports for children in school would help children learn key life-skills and also have fun. We are delighted with our partnership with EduSports as the children, parents and teachers have benefited from the structured, age-appropriate and inclusive sports program. With the implementation of this project, we have made a positive impact on the lives of these children.”

— Mr. Balachandar N. V., President – HR, Communication and CSR