Dubai: While some students are lucky enough to attend schools with computer labs and brandish iPads as learning tools, some still lack the basic tools to write their names.
Venkatraman Morthy, 52, a Dubai resident from India started a campaign in 2009 to collect pencils to distribute to rural underprivileged schools in southern India.
His initial goal back then was to collect 10,000 pencils. However, two years later, thanks to the generosity of individuals and schools in Dubai, he has gathered more than 50,000 pencils and other school supplies.
Greater purpose/’;
"I realised that pencils are one of the things that lie around the house but can go unused for some time, and could actually be given a greater purpose," he said.

The collected pencils and coloured pencils, erasers, sharpeners, school bags and pens have been distributed to more than 1,500 children each term in 11 schools in and around Thiruvavur in Tamil Nadu.
To celebrate India's Independence day on August 15 this year Morthy and his wife Neela visited a free school called Shikshayatan in the remote village of Arasaravanankadu in Tamil Nadu to hand out some of the donations.
"Shikshayatan is a free school run by Mr Raghavan and his wife Aruna — a couple from Mumbai who left their comfortable life in Mumbai to come to the village to start the school in 1992, just to serve the children which is commendable. Their reward can only be that each child is educated and becomes an honorable citizen of India," said Morthy.
Literacy rate
According to the provisional data of the 2011 census released in March, India's effective literacy rate recorded a 9.2 per cent rise to reach 74.04 per cent.
"Apart from this initiative I collected more than 1,000 second-hand uniforms from Our Own English High School and sent them to various schools across India," said Morthy.
In Dubai, Our Own English High School, Cambridge school, the English College and Dubai International Academy donated pencils and school supplies to the cause. Workbooks were donated by the Westminster school, he added.
Donate
If you want to donate pencils and school stationary contact Venkatraman Morthy on 050 6568549 or email venkatca@hotmail.com. For more information visit www.education4all.info