Syntel Inc. brings ''students in free enterprise'' programmes to Indian campuses

Mumbai: Syntel Inc., the NASDAQ-listed (SYNT; market capitalisation US $ 1.1billion) US-based information technology services firm set up by Bharat Desai, will launch Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE), a global organisation involved in educational outreach projects in partnership with business, at The ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton, in Mumbai on Saturday, April 24. SIFE, founded in 1975, runs educational outreach programmes at more than 1,600 university campuses in 40 countries. Programmes include market economics, entrepreneurship, personal and financial success skills and business ethics.

The launch event on Saturday is a competition for which six educational institutions from Mumbai and Pune. They include NMIMS, JBIMS, K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management, MET Institute of Management, Viskwakarma Institute of Technology and S.P. Jain Institute of Management Studies.

The SIFE teams conduct their educational outreach projects through the academic year and are given the opportunity to showcase them at competitions where they present oral, audio-visual and written summaries to judges comprised of top business leaders who determine which teams did the best job teaching and equipping others with the tools necessary for success. National champions advance to the ultimate level of global competition — the SIFE World Cup.

The project themes for this year's competition range from developing the entrepreneurial skills of tribal villagers for self-reliance, to converting a cost centre into a profit center. The winner of the SIFE National competition will represent India at the Barcelona World Cup from September 22-24 this year.

The World Cup 2004 will see India participating for the first time. The event will be attended by some of the world's leading business executives, including the Chairmen and CEOs of Wal-Mart, Unilever, KPMG, Altria (Philip Morris) and Nestle in addition to students and faculty from over 37 countries.

Desai said he was inspired to bring SIFE to India in order to motivate university students into entrepreneurial avenues. "India has a huge pool of talent which needs to be channeled into developing India's economic potential. SIFE has distinguished faculty advisors and is supported by businesses around the globe. SIFE competitions are held worldwide, drawing together thousands of students and business leaders to contribute to these extraordinary educational outreach projects."