New School Infrastructure For Adivasi Children Inaugurated In Odisha’s Gajapati

Gajapati: Mahendra Tanaya Ashram School, a Gram Vikas residential school for Adivasi children in remote areas of Odisha’s Gajapati, got a new state-of-the-art, 50,000 square feet building.

According to sources, the Berhampur MP Chandra Shekar Sahu inaugurated the new school building on November 16.

The bigger space can accommodate over 500 students from Classes III to X and has well-designed, separate, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology labs, a new library to promote reading that can seat 50 students, a dining hall that can serve 400 students,  designated spaces for children with special needs, dormitories for boys and girls and sports facilities are the other unique features of the new building.

“I have never ever seen such a big school in a remote area. The school has really good facilities. Children who study here should make the best use of their chance to study here to enhance their talent,” said Sahu during the inaugural ceremony.

Students from Gram Vikas High School, Kankia, Gram Vikas Shikshya Niketan, Kalahandi, Gram Vikas Vidya Vihar School, Gayaganda, and students from Mahendra Tanaya Ashram School participated in the cultural programmes.

The MP commended the leadership and contributions of Joe Madiath, Gram Vikas Chairman, to bring quality education to Adivasi children.

Besides, district collector Lingaraj Panda shared his excitement and said, “The infrastructure is beautiful. The architecture and design of the building are really good! This is a mega project in my district.”

The school completed 30 years of nurturing countless students from remote Adivasi villages. “The increasing number of students wanting to enrol needed us to have a bigger space to expand opportunities for everyone,” said school principal Prakash Chandra Jena.

Notably, Gram Vikas set up the Mahendra Tanaya Ashram School in 1992 to exclusively provide quality education to children from remote Adivasi communities in the Mahendragiri area of the Gajapati.

Over the last three decades, 1000+ first-generation learners from Adivasi communities have completed school from the four Gram Residential schools in Kalahandi, Gajapati, and Ganjam districts