XISS Ranchi and C3 convene Jharkhand CSR Meet to Advance Girls’ Education and Career Transition

Xavier Institute of Social Service (XISS), Ranchi, in collaboration with Centre for Catalyzing Change (C3), successfully organized the Jharkhand CSR Meet titled “Partners for Progress: Catalyzing Girls’ Education and Career Transition” on 8 April 2026. The event brought together key stakeholders from government, academia, donor agencies, civil society organizations, and the corporate sector to deliberate on strengthening pathways for girls’ education and career advancement.

In his welcome address, Dr Joseph Marianus Kujur SJ, Director of XISS said that educational challenges cannot be addressed in isolation. We must work collaboratively to improve access, affordability, and the quality of education, especially for marginalized communities. It is only through sustained partnerships across government, academia, civil society, and the corporate sector that we can create inclusive and equitable learning opportunities and drive meaningful, long-term change.

Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Co-Operative, GoJ, Shilpi Neha Tirkey emphasized the importance of purpose-driven education. She noted that while Jharkhand has made substantial budgetary allocations for education, ensuring quality remains a significant concern. She further highlighted the dual importance of both academic institutions and academic excellence in shaping meaningful educational outcomes.

Minister, Department of Rural Development, Deepika Pandey Singh advocated for integrating education with skill development, life competencies, and gender sensitivity. She emphasized innovative approaches, including sports, as tools for empowering girls.

Earlier in the event, Dr Aparajita Gogoi, Executive Director of C3, urged stakeholders to move beyond fragmented approaches and invest in integrated, solution-oriented programs, highlighting the need for mindset change and stronger partnerships. Om Prakash Singh, State Head, C3, drew attention to the critical issue of low secondary education completion rates among girls within marginalized communities and identified key barriers such as socio-economic constraints, child marriage, and limited accessibility.

During the event, panel discussion on “Barriers & Breakthroughs What Holds Girls Back from Completing Secondary Education?” was organised where moderator Shabnam Aziz, Head, Education Initiatives, C3, along with panelists Dr Anant Kumar, Head, Rural Management Program, XISS, Pankaj Kumar, Assistant Teacher, Angara, Ranchi, Gayatri Kumari, Girl Champion, Basia, Gumla, and Sujata Kumari JWDS, State model officer, discussed the issue in detail.

The second panel discussed the topic, From Classrooms to Careers: Building Aspirational Pathways for Girls through Skills and Leadership where moderator, Vandana Nair, Lead - Adolescent & Young People Programs, C3, along with panelists, Dibyahas Roy, Lead - Education Initiatives, Tata Steel, Sarita Dundung, Area Head - CSR, Hindalco, and Akshansh Akshat, Head - CSR, Bata India, collectively called for community mobilization, stronger school systems, and targeted interventions to improve retention and completion. Tarun Shukla, Lead, Kalyan Gurukul, Jharkhand, Dr Mayank Murari, GM Corporate Affairs, Usha Martin Ltd, and Amit Kumar, Nodal Officer, VET, JEPC shared their work towards girl education.

More than 20 CSR representatives from Bata India Ltd, Tata Motors, CCL, Hindalco, NTPC, Tata Power, Adani, TSF, RKT Group, TCS, JSW, CMPDI, TRF ltd, Jindal Steel, Usha Martin attended it with many from CSO and government like, Preja Foundation and others.

Dr Pradeep Kerketta SJ, Dr Amar Tigga, Dr Raj Shree along with Professors of Rural Management Porgramme of XISS attended this event along with the members of C3. The meet concluded with a strong call for collective and sustained action among government, CSR, and civil society to create meaningful pathways for girls’ education and empowerment.