Not only will the Indian Premier League (IPL) bring with it a lot of cricketing action to South Africa, it will also contribute towards education in the country. An eight million rand (over $890,000) scholarship programme was announced by IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi and it will be among the largest community programmes in South Africa by a sports organisation.
The Help Educate And Teach (HEAT) programme was launched at the Alexander Sinton High School in the suburb of Athlone with headmaster Faziel Parker ceremoniously receiving 100,000 rands paid into a dedicated scholarship fund at the school from Modi.
Present at the ceremony were captains and leading players of DLF IPL teams including Shane Warne, Kevin Pietersen, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Aakash Chopra, RP Singh and Daniel Vettori, as well as Bollywood stars and team owners Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta.
32 schools to benefit :
Four schools in need in the vicinity of each host city have been identified to receive 100,000 rands each for a specifically dedicated scholarship fund. In all, 32 schools will benefit from this aspect of the HEAT programme.
Bonanza for IPL-viewing students :
The second part of the HEAT programme will benefit students attending DLF IPL matches. With the help of match television producers, five students will be identified at every match and their faces flashed on the stadium screens. Each of these will have 15,000 rands paid into their school fees account in their names.
‘It is well known that many parents struggle with school fees while striving to ensure that their children stay in school and get a good education. We hope the HEAT programme will make a real difference in the lives of those who benefit from it,’ said Modi.
