FICCI Arise looks to join hands with Odisha on school education

A delegation of six members from FICCI Arise met with Smt. Ranjana Chopra, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of School and Mass Education, Government of Odisha
New Delhi, August 10, 2017: As part of its efforts to become a catalyst in government and private sector efforts in school education, FICCI Alliance for Re-Imagining School Education (FICCI Arise), a collegium of members representing various facets of the K-12 segment comprising of progressive independent schools, eminent educators, foundations, think tanks, technical experts, and the civil society met with Smt. Ranjana Chopra, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of School and Mass Education, Government of Odisha to share the initiatives of FICCI ARISE and seek guidance on working together to meet the school education goals in Odisha.

The delegation led by Mr. Naga Prasad Tummala, Co-Chair, FICCI Arise discussed the key initiatives such as Project Hum Saarthi that offers a framework for one to one adaptation of government schools by well-performing independent schools in order to enhance the existing infrastructure and improve learning outcomes. The members also shared their views on regulation of self-financed independent schools which forms its base on rendering autonomy to them based on Self-Regulation, Transparency and Accountability, challenging schools to perform or perish. The delegation shared a copy of FICCI Arise-EY Vision for School Education 3.0 discussion paper that focuses on the need to create pathways for new paradigms and models of education that focus on meeting 21st century learning needs.

Smt. Ranjana Chopra said, “It is important to address the issue of promoting quality education in the country while ensuring a sustained education model. We appreciate the initiatives undertaken by FICCI Arise towards capacity building of government schools through their Project Hum Saarthi and wish to collaborate on that front. We would also like to consider working on the Model Self -Financed Independent Schools Code for our state.

Mr. Naga Prasad Tummala said, “We look forward to working with Odisha government. We believe that some of the initiatives that we discussed can truly add value to meet the state education goals in Odisha.

In addition to this, FICCI arise also held a meeting with leading schools from the state which included Future Bhubaneswar School, SAI International School, ODM Public School, Mother’s Public School, BMPS Takshila School, Vikas Residential School, St. Xavier’s Group of Schools, Venkateswar English Medium School and DPS, Dhenkanal. The schools were oriented about FICCI ARISE vision and its efforts towards striking a balance between the needs and aspirations of the society and preserve the long-term sustainability of the new age schools. The meeting solicited participation from the schools to be a part of FICCI Arise and contribute towards taking this joint vision forward.