Page 20 - EducationWorld May 2022

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ment, the state has made impressive dence, ITI, diploma, teacher educa-
progress. In the latest Education- tion, and physical education institu-
World India School Rankings 2021-22 tions. The platform also maintains
— the world’s largest schools rankings the academic and financial records of
survey — Sai International School, every student admitted into education
Bhubaneswar (estb.2006) is ranked institutions. Remarkably for a nation
India #1 in the day-cum-boarding in which government — especially
school category, and the Sai Group — state governments — is notorious for
established by the late Bijaya Sahoo — lack of initiative and enterprise, SAMS
has also promoted Sai Angan, billed was conceived and designed by the ed-
as Asia’s largest pre-primary school. ucation & IT ministries of the Odisha
disha’s admin capital, the neat government and initially funded by a
Oand well-governed Bhubaneswar 12th Finance Commission grant. But
(pop.1.22 million) is also home to since then, it has become financially
KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sci- independent.
ences), the world’s largest residential However, two of the state’s major
free-of-charge K-12 school for tribal autonomous varsities — Ravenshaw
children, and the high ranked Kalin- University and Gangadhar Meher
ga Institute of Industrial Technology University — haven’t signed up for
(KIIT) University. Both these path- SAMS to maintain their autonomy.
breaking institutions were promoted But with the higher education depart-
decades ago by educationist-philan- ment pressuring them to come on
thropist Dr. Achyuta Samanta. to the common admission platform, the ruling party.
In addition, the state has pioneered there’s a strong likelihood of their In January, even as children re-
another education initiative that could agreeing to do so. turned to school after the prolonged
serve as a model to other states — In a letter to the registrars of these pandemic lockdown, some hindutva
SAMS (Student Academic Manage- two universities, Rajesh Kumar fringe groups created a prickly contro-
ment System) — which has proved Sahoo, deputy director of the higher versy over Muslim girl children wear-
a conspicuous success in smoothing education department, asked them ing the hijab (headscarves) in class-
the complex process of undergraduate to conduct their admissions through rooms. And most recently, another
admissions for school-leavers. Until SAMS. Urging the two universities controversy involving a Christian mi-
SAMS was introduced for junior col- to come aboard SAMS, in his letter nority education institution has made
leges (classes XI-XII) in 2010, admis- Sahoo stated that students from all headlines in the media.
sions conducted in offline mode were parts of the state and country should On April 21, Mohan Gowda, a
a major headache for school-leaving be given the opportunity to study in spokesperson of the Hindu Janaja-
(class X) students who were required Odisha’s rising higher ed institutions, gruti Samiti, tweeted that Clarence
to visit every college of their choice to and that is possible only through the High School, Bengaluru, a vintage
complete admission forms. SAMS was SAM’s centralised admission process. CISCE-affiliated primary secondary
the response of the higher education Kasturi Ray (Bhubaneshwar) school (estb.1914), is “forcing” par-
department of the BJD government to ents to sign a declaration to the effect
address this problem. KARNATAKA that they have no objection to their
Beginning with 60 junior colleges, children “carrying” the Bible and at-
the platform initiated a one-window Bible thumping row tending scripture classes. Citing an
admission system for 169 junior col- extract from the school’s admission
leges and 53 undergrad colleges in ITH STATE LEGISLATIVE as- application form, Gowda tweeted:
2010-11. After its glitches and teeth- sembly elections less than “You affirm that your child will attend
ing problems were resolved in two- Wa year away, rank and file classes including morning assembly,
three years, it was approved by the activists of the BJP — even if not the scripture classes and clubs for his/her
state government for admission into top brass of the party — are targeting own moral and spiritual welfare and
junior, higher secondary, secondary Muslim and Christian minorities in will not object to carrying the Bible
schools, Arts, Commerce, and Science Karnataka (pop.65 million), widely ac- and hymn books during his/her stay
undergrad colleges and vocational and knowledged as the BJP’s gateway into at Clarence High School.”
Sanskrit education institutions. peninsular India. Plainly the objective Soon after, Hindu fringe groups
Since then, it has been expanded of the BJP is to consolidate the domi- accused the Clarence school man-
to govern admission into correspon- nant Hindu community vote behind agement of “attempts to convert stu-

20 EDUCATIONWORLD MAY 2022