QS I-GAUGE, a specialist in rating universities, colleges, and schools in India against best practices and international benchmarks, virtually held a national-level student competition to nurture the young generation of the country to contribute to global sustainability. The finals of the PACT-Star Awards was held virtually on 25th January 2022 to mentor and fund Top 3 Projects (Ideas) presented by young talents from across the country studying in grades 9 to 12.

The PACT-Star awards, launched under the PACT2030 initiative, was organised as part of a year-long celebration to mark the 75th year of Indian Independence (Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav). More than 20 eminent educationists (Chairman, Chancellors, and Vice Chancellors) from the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across India graced the event as a jury panel and evaluated the TOP 10 project pitches from the students for its innovation and potential contribution to the SDGs. The 10  finalists were selected after screening 147 entries through the league stage and shortlisted 25 ideas through the semi-finals.

The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is one of the most ambitious and vital global agreements. Educational institutions have a leading role in helping society to achieve the Global SDGs through leadership, research, teaching and learning, campus operations, and community service. As living laboratories of transformation and innovation, the academic engagement, partnerships, and exemplar models are crucial to empower the next generations, advance SDGs' progress, and foster a resilient and equitable future.

“What better way to empower our future, than to give power and support to young minds - the future is for them indeed. So PACT2030 has created 3 funded awards (PACT-Star Awards) for students with ideas in any of the 17 SDGs which can be implemented in their community” said Dr Ashwin Fernades, CEO QS I-GAUGE.

PACT-Star Awards is one among the few other programmes under the PACT2030 initiative. The PACT2030 which stands for Pledge, Act, Change, Transform – 2030, is a social enterprise that has been constituted to empower academic institutions to think beyond their boundaries and care for the world. Institutions have started to commit towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on an ongoing basis, and PACT2030 believes that the power of togetherness is much mightier. As the name suggests, PACT2030 has a long-term vision and is a scalable model on global platforms. QS I-GAUGE is the first secretariat for this initiative with the support of several partners.

The star attractions of the virtual event were budding change-makers from schools across India who are the future leaders in driving solutions for a sustainable world. From the top 10 finalists: Master Deepanshu from Ahlcon Public School, Delhi presented the idea of Paper Maker Bucket; Miss Aliya Gupta from GD Goenka World School, Haryana presented the Idea around quality education (YouTube Channel - Aliyaport) and Miss Meghana Rella from Geethanjali Vidyalaya, Bangalore presented around reusable, eco-friendly menstrual pad kit, and were adjudged as Top 3 projects and the host organisation QS I-GAUGE ensured funding support of INR 1,00,000 for each project along with a mentor. The juries from top universities have also praised the ideas of students and assured necessary support to scale up the project in a bigger and better way.

The inaugural edition of the QS I-GAUGE PACT-Star Awards has already gained popularity among school students as the screening team received as many as 147 entries from more than 50 schools in a very short span of three weeks, especially during the midterm examination.

Mr Sachin Kumar, Director, Client Relations anchored the virtual event, and Mr Dhruv Jatti, Student Ambassador, PACT-Star anchored the students' presentations and Q&A sessions. Dr Ashwin Fernades, CEO, QS I-GAUGE presented the roadmap for PACT 2030 and announced the winners.

For more information on PACT-Star and PACT2030 visit: https://www.pact2030.org/.