The model of KISS is unique in providing need-based and demand- driven education for indigenous stakeholders as education at KISS is not just empower the child but a starting point for transformation for family and community. Engaging with a child and his/her family leads to imparting critical skills such as empathy, collaboration and respect for diversity among the tribal people.
High dropout and low quality education bedevil the mainstream government schooling. It’s therefore such a sharp relief that KISS has become a shining model of empowerment for the deprived tribal children. By educating thousands of children, KISS is shaping and creating a cohort of role models for every tribal and remote village in the country. Throughout the process, KISS is addressing two major challenges: Diversity and Inclusion. Students not only learn from teachers but from their peers as well. KISS model prepares these vulnerable children as empathetic problem solvers by making the classroom as an inclusive laboratory for their ideas and aspirations. Mother tongue based multilingual education removes language barriers and life skills as part of the curriculum build confidence to be self reliant and active partners of development in the process. A sense of identity amongst children and their communities for them to co-own and build the movement of creating opportunities for every tribal and disadvantaged child in the country has been spearheaded by the mission of Prof. Achyuta Samanta.
18000 (60% of total strength) of the students are girls and KISS has always advocated and practiced Women Empowerment. Indigenous girls intake into the organization is more about empowering them, enabling them to become local grassroots leaders, doctors, engineers, teachers and civil servants. Gender equalityis an aspect, where the girl child gets equal exposure as compared to her male counterpart which is usually lacking in the tribal areas. They have become international players representing India at different world stages.
As an institution it helps in arresting drop-out rate, improved health conditions, human trafficking, arresting child marriage among tribals, Child labour. ‘Earn while you Learn’ scheme (vocational training) where the students send money back home, get hands-on learning for livelihood- acting as a catalyst to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger for the marginalized tribal communities of Odisha, India.
With the contribution and know-how about these areas from local grassroots workers, more deserving and even wards from armed insurgent families were given admission at KISS. The family members of armed insurgents have excelled in academics at KISS. An unbelievable sharp decline in terrorist-related incidents is apparent in districts in comparison to previous years as accepted by Government of India. This paved way of mainstreaming the estranged and alienated families and take the path of peace, democracy and development. Most of the students in KISS directly come from the insurgent affected districts of Odisha besides another 500 from Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. They end up getting a job in hand through professional courses and vocational training.
The Alumni of KISS have been in most respectable and coveted professions today. They have made a mark in the field of academics as well as sports, rising to the level of Olympics. The students have qualified coveted elite civil services of Government of Odisha.
KISS provides technical support to 500 Government Residential Schools in Odisha to impart Life Skills based training. There are over 100 District Resource persons, 500 Head masters, 1500 Government teachers trained under this programme. Thus, KISS reaches the unreached; covering 75 villages in 20 districts of Odisha and imparting Life Skills Education to over 1 lakh adolescent’s boys and girls. Thus, at a macro level it addresses the challenge from cognitive viewpoint. New Mind, New Dream and go back to the village is the mechanism by which 2000 staff and students of KISS, during the summer vacation, enable change through plantation, literacy and Life Skills Drive. KISS tries to address the problem at the grassroots.
KISS is now transforming the lives of more than 0.5 million indigenous children indirectly and meeting the hopes and aspiration of indigenous population since 30 years with intervention in the areas of education, employment, vocational, health, climate change and last but not the least an ideology of peace and development for sustainable development of indigenous people.
