Bhubaneswar: The first edition of a one-of-a-kind Education Summit – ‘Edu-Meet 2022’ was organised for the first time in Eastern India on Sunday, at the KiiT Campus-7, Bhubaneswar. The event was inaugurated by Yemi Odanye, Deputy Head of Mission, British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata, Rohit Pujari, Minister of Higher Education, Orissa, Arun Lal, Former Indian Cricketer and Cricket Commentator, Dr. Mona Lisa Bal, Chairperson, KiiT International School, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Transgender Rights Activist and Sukriti Patannaik, National Co-Chair INWEC. Climate Change, Special Education Needs, Gender Bias, and the Future of Sports in India were the four main focuses of Edu-Meet’2022. The Education Summit, instituted by Candid Communication in collaboration with the ‘Association of Leaders in Education, British Council’,‘BOPTER’ and ‘NASSCOM’, is claimed to be Eastern India’s prominent education summit. The summit has Pathfinder as powered by partner, Alliance Broadband as Broadband partner KiiT as supporting partner and Sanjiban as wellness partner .
Bhubaneswar is emerging as a knowledge hub in India with several new public and private universities, including the establishment of an Indian Institute of Technology. Odisha has fared reasonably well in terms of literacy rates. It has had a tradition of educational excellence since ancient times, hence there could not have been a better time to organise the education summit in this emerging hub of education in Eastern India.
The Summit brought together notable names for each of the panels to discuss and address various developmental concepts of the society. The first panel ‘Green Climate and Education – Impacts, Policies & Actions’ addressed the rising concerns about Climate Change. It was chaired by Aditya Pundir (Director, South Asia, The Climate Reality Foundation), Chiranjeet Chatterjee (Program Director, South Asian Ear for Environment- SAFE) and Saikrishna Mohanty (Managing Partner at Solar Infra and EC Head INWEC).
The panel thereafter that was ‘Girls’ Education, Gender Equality and Special Education’ was among the most prolific topics, throwing light on the seriousness of Gender Equality and the need for Inclusive Education. The panel was chaired by Deepa Sundara Ranjan (Assistant Director, Society India EDI Lead, British Council), Dr. Mona Lisa Bal (Chairperson, KiiT International School), Laxmi Narayan Tripathy (Transgender Rights Activist, Bollywood Actress), Merry Barua (Founder Director Action for Autism, National Centre for Autism).
The third session ‘Chak De India’ focused on the core scenario of sports in India and its future. The session was chaired by ArunLal, Former Indian Cricketer and Cricket Commentator, Prasanta Banerjee veteran Indian Footballer and Hanshi Premjit Sen, Referee and Judge, World Karate Federation.
The fourth session was on the premise of ‘Skilling Indian Youth – Issues and Challenges’ which focused on the importance of skill-oriented programs to recognize an individual’s potential career. The session was chaired by Shri S.M. Ejaz Ahmad (Director, BOPT (ER) (Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Govt. of INDIA), Dr. Sanjay Suar (Principal, KiiT International School).
Dr. Mona Lisa Bal, Chairman, KiiT International School, said “It won’t be far off to state that today was completely captivating. I was exposed to extraordinary viewpoints during the course of the event since I was surrounded by maestros from many walks of life. I hope the event leaves our viewers with as much as it did with me.
Ms. Swati Chakrabarty, Director- Operations, Candid Communication said, “There could not have been a better time and initiative than Edu Summit 2022 when the students who are fresh pass out of school, are aiming to have the best platform in the form of colleges/institutions which will help them to reach the pinnacle of success. We bring one such platform to guide them best towards their desired destination.”
