Rio Tinto’s Bunder Project Bringing Education to Surrounding Communities

Workers at the Bunder Project Image: Rio Tinto Diamonds

(IDEX Online News) – Mining company Rio Tinto has implemented a number of educational initiatives aimed at improving opportunities for families in the 15 communities surrounding the Bunder project in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Rio Tinto said that through a range of coaching initiatives and adult education programs the Bunder project is working towards its goal of enhancing opportunities in the local region and ensuring that the local communities are well placed to take up employment in the developing diamond mine.

The Bunder project’s high school coaching program consists of eight teachers managing five coaching centers for secondary school students. Over the past four years, it has reached 381 students with an 85-percent pass rate.

The miner said the coaching centers are important for students at risk of dropping out of school because of lack of resources or because of the long distances to travel to a school. It said that girls, who traditionally have not been encouraged to complete high school, have been a particular focus of the project.

“In an area of India where literacy rates are very low, these are milestone achievements for students who can now look to a much broader range of employment options. We will continue to work in close consultation with the communities to develop programs’ that will make a real difference,” said Tarun Malkani COO of Rio Tinto India.

The miner is also looking at adult literacy and professional and industrial training to ensure the local community can take advantage of the business and employment opportunities that the new mine will provide, as well as equipping them for other employment opportunities.