Kolkata: Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), a private university in Bhubaneswar in Odisha which has recently got the status of being the first tribal university in the country has undertaken an initiative to help tribal students become more employable for government and corporate jobs. Talking to news persons in Kolkata the founder and mentor of the institute, professor Achyuta Samanta said that Union Human Resources Development has given its approval to the institute to run seven new innovative courses in tribal culture, philosophy and eco-spiritualism, tribal heritage, tribal ideology and tribal literature, indigenous knowledge, science and technology and tribal resources management. Initially 40 students will be inducted in every department but the enrolment will be gradually increased.
Samanata said that there were many employments for reserved category candidates in both government departments and in different corporate houses.
“But seldom they get suitable candidates among the reserved categories to fill up the posts. So, we want to offer proper courses so that students, after graduating can acquire the efficiency for getting the jobs. By doing this the university will create a revolution among the tribal students across the country,” he said. The founder of the university said that the tribal students will be offered residential accommodation while availing the education absolutely free of cost. “KISS Deemed university is supposed to be the first university in the world exclusively for tribal students and tribal studies offering full free education and accommodation,” he said.
The KISS was founded started by the mentor in a rented house in Bhubaneswar in 1992-93 with only 125 poor tribal students. At present the students strength at KISS has touched 37,000 (27,000 existing students and 10,000 graduated). Interestingly sixty percent of them are girl students. Achyuta Samanta said in addition to formal education from class 1 to postgraduate level, a wide range of vocational skill is imparted to the students. It has implemented the United Nation’s much needed social change in the tribal hinterland of Odisha and its neighbouring states by arresting spread of Maoist and Naxalite insurgency. “The problem of Maoism and Naxalism was created due to lack of education and employment. The deemed university will help tribal students to stay away from Maoism. We will take adequate care to ensure this. We will bring students from marginalized communities to the mainstream,” professor Samanta said.
When asked how he would arrange funds to run the university, Professor Samanta said that initially the KISS will provide financial assistance to the deemed university. “Later we will approach different corporate houses to give us fund under their Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) initiatives,” he said. With an aim to educate and empower 2,00,000 underprivileged children over the next decade, KISS is now in the process of setting up branches of the institution in 20 states across the country.
