The Urban Education Programme, “Anwesha”, is poised to be a game changer in Odisha as it ensures quality education to Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) students from remote rural areas in the best English medium educational institutions in urban areas to nurture their inherent talent, an official said on Tuesday.

The inclusion of residential schools providing free education and hostel facilities has enhanced the quality of life for tribal students, preparing them to face the challenges of their careers effectively.

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Helping the tribal kids in joining in the path of competitiveness and excellence, “Anwesha”, is currently operational in 17 districts across Odisha. So far, it has enrolled 22,340 students in 163 schools and 98 hostels.

Since its inception in 2015-16 till date, originating from a pilot project “Creation of Urban Hostel Complexes and Exemption of Tuition Fees for ST, SC students to study in public schools” in the past, in two Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) of Berhampur in Ganjam, 220 students were studying in Class-I to Class-IX under the scheme in the very first year. It helped to fulfil the ambition of poor parents, who cannot educate their kids in public schools due to unaffordable costs. Secondly, creating hostels to accommodate students from remote pockets and provide an ecosystem to nurture young talents was another major feature of this flagship venture.

Initially launched for five years (FY 2015-16 to 2019-20), it was further extended by five years (2020-25) at a cost of Rs 569.90 crore. Selected through a lottery system, the ST and SC students are taken in a ratio of 70:30, and boys and girls are in equal proportion, only from BPL households.

“My son is staying at the Urban Education Complex, Kirei square in Sundargarh. He has been staying in “Anwesha” hostel since Class I and this year he entered Class IX. This unique programme has given us all which we never imagined in our life. The authorities are taking care of everything and my son is doing well both in academics and extracurricular activities,” said Narendra Minz, a parent.

“In its long-term impact, the initiatives under the Urban Education Programme – “Anwesha” – aim to cultivate physically and mentally healthy students from the ST and SC so that they do well in the CBSE/ICSE Board examinations. Our department tries to fulfil its mandate to provide free educational opportunities to the talented, but needy boys and girls, who come from the remotest corner and shine like bright stars through their upbringing in the ecosystem run by the scheme,” said ST, SC Development Minorities and Backward Welfare Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Roopa Roshan Sahoo.