eNarada, Bengaluru, Sunday, February 18, 2018
Its bumper news for Karnataka students as Kalinga Institute of Social Studies (KISS) is all set to open its doors for the tribal students from the state. This means-the tribal students can head to Bhubaneswar-based KISS, which is the only tribal university in the whole world, to get FREE education from KG to PG! In fact, KISS has to its credit of moulding the students in the best possible way not just in academics but also in extra-curricular activities. A pointer to this fact is that four of the fastest sprinters in our country today are from KISS!
Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT & KISS briefing the media at Bengaluru. eNarada Pic
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Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, noted philanthropist, educationist and founder of KISS, Dr Achyuta Samanta invited the state tribal students to be part of KISS. He said the KISS was working hard to set up a campus in Karnataka itself so that the student state’s tribal students need not travel so far for getting quality education. “We are in constant talks with the government of Karnataka for a piece of land. Once, we get land, we are eager to start our campus. The Karnataka campus is likely to come up in the outskirts of Bengaluru and will offer FREE education not just for tribal students but also for the students from below poverty line.
Dr Samanta said that the KISS was recently granted the University status by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and thus became the first tribal university in India and in the entire world (though Indira Gandhi National Tribal University has been established before, it enrols students of all categories. On the other hand, KISS University is exclusively for tribal students).
KISS has been declared a Deemed University under De-Novo category. Hence, the varsity has decided to introduce 7 new innovative departments including Department of Tribal Culture, Philosophy and Eco-Spiritualism, Indigenous Knowledge, Science and Technology; Comparative Tribal Linguistics & Literature, Tribal Heritage and Tribal Indology, Comparative Indic Studies and Tribal Science, Tribal Resource Management, and Tribal Legal Studies and Tribal Rights in the first phase to provide impetus to research on tribal studies and help KISS achieve a place of prominence in the tribal education and research in world. With this KISS University will work on Art, literature, culture, heritage and other aspects of Tribals across India and globe. Deemed University status has been granted with this hope. As before, students of KISS University will get residential 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, which is fully free and fully residential. Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) was founded by Prof. Achyuta Samanta in 1992-93 in a rented building in Bhubaneswar with only 125 poor tribal students. It underwent massive growth with gradual increase in the student strength. At present, student strength of KISS has touched 37,000 (27,000 existing students and 10,000 graduated). Sixty percent (60%) of them are girl students.
In addition to formal education from Class I to Postgraduate level, a wide range of vocational skill is imparted to the students. Besides implementing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals in true sense, KISS has been able to bring about much needed social changes in the tribal hinterland of Odisha and its neighbouring states by arresting spread of Maoist and Naxalite insurgency. KISS, through its 37,000 students who come from as many families in different villages across the state, is indeed transforming tribal mindset and helping them join the mainstream society.
One branch of KISS has been set up since 2013 in Delhi in the name and style of KISS-Delhi and has been running with the help and support of Delhi Govt. for the poor children of Delhi territory. KISS is acclaimed as a successful model of human development and as a result various State Governments are interested to start a branch of KISS in their respective States. Work is in progress to start two international branches in Bangladesh as well as branches in various districts of Odisha.
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 KISS in 20 States of India with the support of the Govt. and Non Govt. agencies. KISS hopes to set up a branch in Karnataka soon.
