How a mill turns thousands of women workers graduates
Pratiksha.Ramkumar@timesgroup.com 30.10.2019
Fifty-eight full-time teachers on the rolls of a textile mill is unheard of. KPR Mills, one of the country’s largest apparel manufacturing firms, is using these teachers to educate its employees, many of them now graduates and postgraduates.
When Sujith Kumar, head of human resources at Infosys, was invited for a convocation in Coimbatore, he thought it was yet another customary event where graduates would be awarded degree certificates. But he was pleasantly surprised when he learned it was meant for its employees, all women mill workers, who had turned graduates.
“We keep reading about brilliant case studies across the globe but nothing comes close to what KPR Mills is doing for its employees,” he later wrote in a social media post.
Several others who have attended the convocation over the years go back with stories of the grit and determination displayed by women mill workers.
KPR Mills has for more than a decade helped nearly 24,000 women complete Class X, Class XII and graduation, apart from helping them take up job-oriented courses on teacher training and yoga. With a full-fledged teaching faculty, it has tied up with Tamil Nadu Open University and Alagappa University.
Executive director C R Anandakumar says 3,357 of his employees are now studying for various exams ranging from Class X, Class XII boards and computer diploma courses to post graduate degrees. The group, which had a sales turnover of ₹4,000 crore last year, has 22,000 employees.
The story of how it decided to educate its women employees is now an urban legend. “One day, my brother K P Ramasamy was interacting with employees when a woman employee expressed regret for not being able to continue studies because of financial constraints,” recalls managing director P Nataraj. “Since almost 80% of our employees live with us, we realised they have eight hours to spare. Why not arrange classes for them for 2-4 hours a day?”
The initiative, which began 14 years ago with 15-20 students from districts such as Ooty, Trichy and Vellore, has so far educated 24,356 girls. Till this year, as many as 4,848 girls have completed their graduation degrees.
The company does not insist on workers staying with it forever. “We encourage them to take up better jobs after finishing their education, because that’s what will uplift them and their families,” said Anandakumar.
Ashwini Sethumadhavan, a constable with the Chennai battalion from Tirupathur, joined the garment section of KPR Mills in 2009. She signed up for BCom the next academic year and simultaneously prepared for the police exam.
“The teachers and wardens helped me get books and other study materials for government exams, and helped me with coaching… if not for KPR Mills, I would have remained a mill worker for life,” says the 27-year-old.
SOCIAL UPLIFT: Women workers of KPR Mills at a stitching facility in Coimbatore. Most of these workers are studying simultaneously
Pratiksha.Ramkumar@timesgroup.com 30.10.2019
Fifty-eight full-time teachers on the rolls of a textile mill is unheard of. KPR Mills, one of the country’s largest apparel manufacturing firms, is using these teachers to educate its employees, many of them now graduates and postgraduates.
When Sujith Kumar, head of human resources at Infosys, was invited for a convocation in Coimbatore, he thought it was yet another customary event where graduates would be awarded degree certificates. But he was pleasantly surprised when he learned it was meant for its employees, all women mill workers, who had turned graduates.
“We keep reading about brilliant case studies across the globe but nothing comes close to what KPR Mills is doing for its employees,” he later wrote in a social media post.
Several others who have attended the convocation over the years go back with stories of the grit and determination displayed by women mill workers.
KPR Mills has for more than a decade helped nearly 24,000 women complete Class X, Class XII and graduation, apart from helping them take up job-oriented courses on teacher training and yoga. With a full-fledged teaching faculty, it has tied up with Tamil Nadu Open University and Alagappa University.
Executive director C R Anandakumar says 3,357 of his employees are now studying for various exams ranging from Class X, Class XII boards and computer diploma courses to post graduate degrees. The group, which had a sales turnover of ₹4,000 crore last year, has 22,000 employees.
The story of how it decided to educate its women employees is now an urban legend. “One day, my brother K P Ramasamy was interacting with employees when a woman employee expressed regret for not being able to continue studies because of financial constraints,” recalls managing director P Nataraj. “Since almost 80% of our employees live with us, we realised they have eight hours to spare. Why not arrange classes for them for 2-4 hours a day?”
The initiative, which began 14 years ago with 15-20 students from districts such as Ooty, Trichy and Vellore, has so far educated 24,356 girls. Till this year, as many as 4,848 girls have completed their graduation degrees.
The company does not insist on workers staying with it forever. “We encourage them to take up better jobs after finishing their education, because that’s what will uplift them and their families,” said Anandakumar.
Ashwini Sethumadhavan, a constable with the Chennai battalion from Tirupathur, joined the garment section of KPR Mills in 2009. She signed up for BCom the next academic year and simultaneously prepared for the police exam.
“The teachers and wardens helped me get books and other study materials for government exams, and helped me with coaching… if not for KPR Mills, I would have remained a mill worker for life,” says the 27-year-old.
SOCIAL UPLIFT: Women workers of KPR Mills at a stitching facility in Coimbatore. Most of these workers are studying simultaneously
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