Anil   Pradhan, Innovating Education for Weaker Sections in Odisha  

 

Anil Pradhan, son of Late Muralidhar Pradhan and Chili Pradhan, has come from a family of farmers,  and born on 09/07/1969 at Raibahal, Post. Raniakata, Via. Raj Kishore Nagar-759126, Angul, Odisha, India.

 

                                                                                                           

 1. Experiences

1992 to 1995

- Joined  as  a Programme Associate in Agragamee, Kashipur , Rayagada

-  Coordinated   different projects such as District Resource Unit ,  Innovative and

 Experimental Education programme supported by the MHRD, Government of

 India.

- Worked as one of the Senior Programme Managers in Agragamee.

 

 1996- till date

ü  Joined Sikshasandhan as the Member-Secretary(Chief Functionary)

ü  Organised state level and national level consultation on education for social

change to work out  strategies for Sikshasandhan. 

ü  Developed Training packages  and conducted training programmes for teachers, pre-school instructors, functionaries of voluntary organizations, senior functionaries of the Government of Orissa

ü  Provided support services to voluntary organizations on training, local specific curriculum development, and teaching learning materials development.

ü  Coordinated educational projects supported by Actionaid, Catholic Relief Services,Welthungerhilfe,OXFAM India, Terre Des Hommes-Germany, CRY , Care India, SDTT  and Swiss-aid.

ü  Coordinated an evaluation study of secondary schools managed by the

Schedule Tribes  and  Schedule Castes  Development  Department, Government of Orissa in 2000

ü  Was part of the research team,which executed an International Labour Organisation sponsored  study on Bondo Highlanders of Orissa.     

ü  Developed and implemented an innovative education programme for children of tribal communities in Orissa during 1999-2008 with the support of Welthungerhilfe.

ü  Coordinated a consortium consisting of  grassroots voluntary organizations working in the field of education in tribal areas of Orissa.

ü  Convener, Odisha Siksha Adhikar Abhijan, a network of voluntary organizations working in the field of  Education in Odisha.

ü  Convener, Odisha RTE Forum(state level alliance of NGOs, networks work in the field of education and child rights)

 

2. Achievements

ü  Developed a model education programme for children of tribal communities  which can be replicated elsewhere after minor modification in view of the local situation. More than 10,000 children benefited from the programme.

ü  His effort has been contributed  to influence Government of Odisha for mother tongue based education in Orissa for children of tribal communities. 

ü  Under his leadership a library has been set up consisting of valuable  collections of Odia autobiographies, biographies, local histories and books on Orissa. Besides, Mr.Pradhan has set up 200 library in 200 government schools.

ü  Coordinating publication of Sikshasandhan.More than 150 books on education, autobiographies , biographies  and books for children have been published so far.

ü  A bi-monthly magazine Sikha has been published under his leadership since 1996 which records news, views , experiences of the teachers, innovations  on education. 

ü  Sikshasandhan became an well-known organization under his leadership.

ü  He has been establish contact  with educationists, institutions and universities within the country and abroad.

ü  He organised the civil society  organistaions to form a state wide network  Odisha RTE Forum, a forum of NGOs,Funding agencies,teachers’union, and educationist to create pressure on government to implement Rights of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 and bring about desired policy changes.     

            

 3. Membership                               

ü  Member, .Orissa Gabeshana Chakra- An intellectual forum in Orissa

ü  Founder Member and Trustee  of RUPANTAR- a resource centre for translation registered  under Trust Act

ü  Founder Member of Nishant Foundation, a trust for promoting literary activities in the state

ü  Founder Member of Centre for South Asian Studies, a trust for promoting

ü  research on South Asian Countries    

ü  Founder Member, SANJOJANA- a state level network for Natural Resource Management

 

4. Books/Articles  Published

ü  Co-translator  of the book Siksha Bichara(Oriya translation of the book “On Education by V.Sukhomlinsky) published by  Sikshasandhan, Bhubaneswar, 2003.

 

ü  Translation of excerpts from Oriya autobiographies into English  have been included in an anthology(From  Bondage to Freedom)   published by RUPANTAR.,2006

 

ü  Translation of an excerpt from Oriya women’s writing into English  has been included in the book Early Women’ writing of Orissa published by Sage, New Delhi.

 

ü  Co-Editor, Anubhabamala-II and III (Diary of Mr. Sarat Chandra Moharana, an eminent educationist and Gandhian)

 

ü  In Their Own Voices:Stories, Momories, Impressions of Tribal s in Orissa, a book edited by him was published in 2010.

 

ü  A  long write-up  included in Food Steps: Community Initiatives for Food Security  which was  published by Welthungerhilfe, Germany in 2008.

 

ü  Number of Articles published in News Papers and Magazines relating to education and development.

 

 

Country Visited:

Switzerland, Sweden, Philippines Nepal and Bangladesh