UAA Promoted Samudram Project is the Receipient of "UN Equator Initiative Award 2010" for Reducing Poverty Through the Conservation & Sustainable use of Biodiversity, Samudram also Conferred with "Godfrey Philips Bravery Award 2011" for Women's Empowerment
Education

Focused involvement of UAA with communities in its operational area in Ganjam and its periphery realised that unless educational status of the area improve, its initiative of community empowerment will become a dream. So, they worked rigorously on development of education through formal, non-formal education including adult literacy.

Balwadi & Crèche program:

With the support of Central and State Social Welfare Board UAA implemented Balwadi and Crèche program in Ganjam NAC and rural villages particular populated with Scheduled cast community who are mostly engaged in daily wage earning. This helped children tending towards learning new things, lead group living, and changed attitude of parents and they realised the importance of educating their children and continuity of their children formal schools has increased.

Adult education

With the Recommendation of Govt. of Odisha, Govt. of India supported UAA to run 30 adult education centre in rural villages of Ganjam Block. UAA has good expertise in community mobilisation and promotion of People’s organisation. So, they implemented Adult education program like functional literacy not merely running centres with teaching alphabets and numeracy. The process adopted by brought local administration and PRIs closer to community with the active participation of neo-literates of adult education centres. The program become so popular in the state that All India Radio, Cuttack came down to record and broadcast the progress of these centres among larger mass of the state.

Non-formal education

To improve capacity of children of to compete with mainstream society of rural scheduled caste and marine fishing villages UAA run non-formal and supplementary education for students attending formal school in their locality. Along with supplementary/ remedial coaching UAA also provided them skill development training on production of incense sticks, coir rope and mat production, wax candle production etc. for getting an income to support their families using their rest time.

Condensed course for plucked HSC girl students

UAA with the support of State Social Welfare Board run one condensed course for 30 Girls students who has not successfully completed matriculation. This promoted increase in women education scenario of Ganjam and its periphery areas.

Involvement in propagation of girls’ education:

The social workers of UAA with the support of local community raised funds and provided its infrastructure for establishment of upper primary and secondary education to provide exclusive campus for girls. This has increased parents interest towards higher education of their daughters and women education of the area increased.

Involvement of UAA in promotion of higher education for Girls':

UAA get involved with Yashoda Foundation Trust to establish a women’s degree college to provide an exclusive campus for girls intending to read higher education with honours. Members of UAA and Trustees of Yashoda Foundation Trust decided to open market oriented professional courses in the college to increase market stake of girls of the area to face the challenge of present competitive job market. So, they applied and get permission to open honours subjects in Education, Economics, Industrial Relation and Personnel Management, Education in Arts stream and in science the college will impart education in computer science, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.

It is intended to change the mindset of students and parents by providing teaching in English instead of current trend in getting higher education through local dialect odia which restrict their job opportunity in wider spectrum of the country.

Right to Education Act and UAA

Article 21 of our constitution protects the right to life and dignity includes the right to free and compulsory education for children up to 14 years of age. This fundamental right has been operationalised with the enactment of RtE Act 2009 and rule 2010. Soon after the enactment of RtE act govt. of Odisha has endorsed the act and promised to make all schools of the state within next 5 years or say by 2015. In this context UAA which lead two district network of organisations involved in education has formed a forum in Puri and Ganjam district (Puri and Ganjam district right to education forum) and linked it with with the support of Odisha State RtE forum to assess status of implementation of right to education act in the state.

Organised district RtE mela and presented the status which gave a grim situation of the status in Puri district and Municipality. All participants, the Presidents of School Management Committee and education concerned citizens opined that the Act needs to be propagated at the grassroots level and petitions should be given to government departments and SSA Project.

With the support of block level forum members and Puri WaSH task force involved in propagating the information through campaigns, meetings, training to SMC members etc. and the campaign is going on.

The members of Ganjam and Puri RtE forum participated in state and national level RtE conventions and highlighted the issue relating to implementation of RtE Act 2009.

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