Guwahati: UNICEF India, the International Cricket Council (ICC), and CII–Young Indians (CII–YI) have charted a joint roadmap to support girls from Assam’s tea garden communities and flood-prone regions through education, safety, and skill development initiatives.
The collaboration aims to ensure that girls remain in school even during the recurring floods and are better equipped to transition into meaningful livelihoods.
The roadmap also urges private sector companies to channel their CSR contributions towards strengthening state-led education and skill programmes rather than running isolated initiatives.
Addressing the event, Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota underscored the state’s approach of “Foundation first, then skills — with continuity by design,” and called on partners to align CSR resources with government systems to enhance foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) outcomes and retention rates.
UNICEF India’s Deputy Representative Arjan de Wagt stressed two key accelerators — FLN and skilling-to-work — and highlighted evidence-based interventions such as mother-tongue materials, teacher coaching, “teaching at the right level,” and pre-positioned learning kits to maintain continuity during flood seasons.
He said that aligning CSR efforts with government frameworks would amplify results and sustainability.
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Former Indian cricketer and ICC ambassador Jhulan Goswami urged families and fans to take the ICC × UNICEF Promise to Children pledge, encouraging communities to help girls stay in school “through floods and finals,” spreading awareness through the #PromiseToChildren campaign.
Two panel discussions held during the programme focused on strengthening education systems in tea garden and flood-affected areas.
Experts emphasised the need to invest in mothers’ education, improve midday meals, organise catch-up classes, and incorporate digital and play-based learning approaches for holistic development.
