Mumbai, YNN– The VSS Fellowship 2024-25 was officially inaugurated by Chief Guest Prof. Rajanikant Behera, representing Juhar Foundation Mumbai. This initiative aims to provide free education to underprivileged secondary school students across 500 schools in 14 villages of Western Odisha.
The programme employs educated young men and women from these villages, allowing them to utilise their free time to shape the future of the students. The fellowship currently benefits students in villages such as Chilakpur and Kotengaon in Kalahandi, Dangarpada in Sambalpur, Mulbar, Bargaon, Kusmunda, Malda, and Karandola in Bargarh, and Pandari and Jamgaon in Jharsuguda.
In an era where quality education is often inaccessible in rural areas, Juhar Foundation has provided each fellow with laptops to enhance digital learning. Prof. Behera encouraged mentors to focus on improving the educational standards of students in years six to eight, addressing foundational issues in the education system.
Mr. Ajay Kumar Panda, founder of Pragati Group of Institutions, announced that students scoring above 90% in their matriculation exams would receive free education for 11th and 12th standard at Pragati Institutions. This initiative has already benefited thousands of students, enabling them to pursue higher education.
Sushama Panda highlighted that many students from these villages have received prestigious awards such as the Mukhyamantri Shiksha Puraskar and Pathani Samantha Medhabrutti Puraskar. The programme, initiated during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020-21, aims to improve education quality in remote areas.
Juhar Foundation, a social organisation, is dedicated to enhancing education, health, and social services in Western Odisha. Convenor Deepak Pujari expressed optimism about expanding the programme further. The inaugural event was attended by board members including Deepak Pujari, Namita Pujari, Sushama Panda, Mitra Guru, Mousumi Mohapatra, Arvind Pati, Pradeep Panda, and Sameer Panda.
