Around 40 tribal students from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district have secured admission to engineering colleges this year, including two who qualified for the National Institutes of Technology (NITs), following a targeted initiative by the district administration to improve access to professional education.
The achievement comes under the district administration’s ‘Medhabhi Mayurbhanj’ programme, which aims to improve learning outcomes and literacy levels from primary to higher secondary education. As part of the initiative, a specialised programme titled ‘Achievers’ was launched to prepare tribal students for competitive entrance examinations for engineering and medical courses.
Mayurbhanj District Magistrate Hemakanta Say said the initiative was designed to provide tribal students with focused academic support and better opportunities to pursue professional education.
“Under ‘Medhabhi Mayurbhanj’, we started another initiative called ‘Achievers’. When we launched it last year, around 16 to 17 students secured admission to engineering colleges. This year, we strengthened the selection process and continued the programme,” Say told ANI.
He said coaching facilities were set up at Bangriposi for students from Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) and schools run by the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development (SSD) Department. Students were selected through an entrance examination, and around 40 to 50 candidates were provided free coaching, accommodation and meals while preparing for engineering and medical entrance tests.
“So far, through counselling, around 40 students have secured admission to engineering colleges in disciplines such as Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. Of these, two have qualified for NITs, while the others have been admitted to state engineering colleges. Counselling is still underway, and we expect more students to be selected,” Say said.
The district administration said the number of engineering admissions has increased significantly from last year, when around 16-17 students secured seats.
One of the students admitted to NIT Jamshedpur’s Electrical Engineering programme comes from a farming family. Say described the achievement as a significant milestone for students from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“The student who secured admission to NIT Jamshedpur belongs to a humble family, and his father is a small farmer. Gaining admission to an NIT is a major achievement. It secures his future, improves the prospects of the next generation and contributes to the empowerment of tribal communities,” he said.
The district administration is also working to strengthen tribal education infrastructure through Central government initiatives such as PM-JANMAN and the Aadi Karmayogi Abhiyaan to create better educational opportunities for tribal youth.
Officials said the success of the students has inspired many children across villages in Mayurbhanj to pursue higher education and professional careers. The administration is also expanding its focus on medical entrance coaching with the aim of helping more students secure admission to government medical colleges in the coming years.
(With inputs from ANI)
