One of India’s oldest educational institutions, Hyderabad Public School (HPS), constructed in 1860, is commemorating its centenary year in 2024 with notable alumni including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Adobe Systems President and CEO Shantanu Narayen, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Cricket Commentator Harsha Bhogle. Moreover, it is expected that these prestigious alumni will be attending the alumni fundraising dinner that will take place in the city on Sunday, December 24.
This year-old building contains 11 rooms, a dining hall, a cinema hall, a darbar hall, and a dining room, among others. By 2025, Hyderabad Public School has set an ambitious target to improve infrastructure by raising Rs 100 crore from its alumni. In order to develop athletes who can compete at the Olympic level, the school plans to invest Rs 25 crore over the next few years to create cutting-edge sports facilities, and the remaining funds will be used for other school infrastructure.
Educational institutions are becoming more and more dependent on donations from alumni. These financial contributions contribute to the financial aid programmes, infrastructure development, establishment of research and entrepreneurship centers among other things.
While IITs, Harvard, and Ivy League colleges have developed a robust philanthropy environment, schools in India have paled in comparison. With slightly over $50 billion (Rs 5,000 crores) in endowment, Harvard is the United States’s university with the biggest endowment, according to recent sources. A major chunk of its revenue comes from gifts from alumni, friends, and parents of students of the institution.
Hyderabad Public School Society president Gusti Noria stated that the tradition of alumni donations flows from current donors to the recipients of these donations, reported Deccan Herald.
“Driven by alumni, Hyderabad Public School is pioneering the concept of educational philanthropy, in line with the best practices being adopted by institutes of global excellence. This espoused alumni-fundraising initiative has gained traction in the centennial year. The funding will be used to implement modern pedagogical tools of experiential learning, such as the establishment of AI lab facilities, robotics facilities, a multisport complex, scholarship awards, mentorship, and entrepreneurship programmes,” he added.
A recent alumni donation sparked a debate among academicians and educational institutions after Nandan Nilekani made the country’s largest alumni donation of Rs 315 crore to his alma mater, IIT Bombay. This phenomenon, which has long been established in the West thanks to schools like Stanford and MIT, is now gaining momentum in India, with the alumni of the not-for-profit legacy institutes assuring a holistic developmental platform for students in academics and beyond.
In addition to that, President Droupadi Murmu graced the grand finale of the year-long centenary celebrations of Hyderabad Public School by inaugurating the HPS Museum. The four-day event included more than 50 activities and was attended by high-profile alumni such as Satya Nadella, Shantanu Narayan, Ajay Pal Banga, Prem Watsa, and Harsha Bhogle.
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