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Bhubaneswar (Odisha): Tata Steel Paribars – the rehabilitated families in Kalinganagar in Jajpur district of Orissa have achieved two Millennium Development Goals of United Nations well before the timelines of 2015 AD. While the first Millennium Development has set a time line of 2015 to ensure Universal Primary Education, the second millennium development goal stresses upon removal of gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2015 AD.
Tata Steel which has given a guarantee to improve the quality of life substantially within five years for the rehabilitated families of Tata Steel Paribar at Kalinganagar, have already achieved this in the field of education within first four years of rehabilitation at Kalinganagar.
The Rehabilitation and Resettlement team of Tata Steel ensures and motivates all the children above the age of 3 to attend a school starting from Balwadis operating in the rehabilitation townships and monitors & tracks the performance of each child. This has ensured Zero School dropout amongst the children of rehabilitated families. It may be noted that while the country’s elementary school dropout rate is around 23% and that of Orissa is around 26%.
Further constant persuasion with the parents and facilitating in creating opportunities in boarding schools including that in KISS have ensured 100% education for the girl child of Tata Steel Paribar starting from primary levels to secondary level and higher professional levels like that of Engineering, Business Management etc.
Another impressive achievement for Tata Steel Paribars at kalingangar is the drastic jump of the literacy levels from 45% ( in 2005) to 65% in 2010 amongst its members. Computer Based Functional Literacy (CBFL) through 6 Adult literacy centers has been giving participants the opportunity to acquire literacy skills.
Education in Tata Steel Parivar is being handled through 12 education centers currently running at five locations catering to 105 children in the age group of 3 to 5 years and 122 children in 6 to 14 years age group. A thorough monitoring system on monthly basis is in place to track performance of children in acquiring language and arithmetic skills through these centers.
Children are also provided with novel opportunities to expose themselves into various extra curricular activities to foster the spirit of creativity, inquisitiveness, self motivation and discipline for a harmonious well being of mental and physical health. In the past years series of workshops were held on creative writing, painting, dramatics etc and children came out with flying colors displaying their latent talents and got awarded in different creative pursuits on the occasion of Sishu Mela. Since last year an annual children’s magazine viz. Ama Prathama Lekha is being published capturing children’s expectations, aspirations, whims and fancies in their writing.
In order to ensure quality education for Tata Steel Parivar children, the capacities of the teachers are being built through specific training programs conducted by the experts from ‘Prathama Orissa’. The programs update teachers’ teaching techniques and hone their skills in innovative teaching and learning methods.
As many as 159 tribal children have been enrolled in the residential schools in the district and 50 children have got the opportunity of studying in one of the premier schools in Orissa viz. Kalinga Institute of Social Science (KISS). In addition to the residential schools, as many as 213 children are in schools as day scholars.
While education gives the ability to comprehend information, Sports inculcates the sense of discipline, develops the spirit of competition and the ability to thrive in adverse situations without compromising on the values.
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