Bhubaneswar, 21st July 2025: Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is playing a pioneering role in empowering tribal students through science, technology, and evidence-based education. Because of these efforts, KISS has been officially recorded in the United Nations Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) High-Level Segment.
The record highlights KISS’s significant contribution toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and mentions that KISS has successfully developed a creative educational blueprint. The institute is enabling tribal children to tackle local challenges by using advanced global technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Primary-level students are taught in their mother tongues through multilingual education rooted in UNESCO-awarded language preservation efforts, which has helped increase student interest and participation in education. This approach has been specifically acknowledged in the UN record.
KISS currently educates around 80,000 tribal students from 64 tribal communities, including 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Along with formal education, these students receive training in life skills, skill development, sports excellence, and climate resilience. As a result, the United Nations noted that KISS is creating a notable transformation in the lives of tribal students and empowering them meaningfully.
Expressing his happiness, KISS and KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta stated that the ongoing discussion and recognition of KISS in UN records is a matter of pride and honor for both tribal communities and Odisha. It is worth noting that KISS received ECOSOC special consultative status in 2015, which is still active. Moreover, in 2022, KISS was honored with the UNESCO International Literacy Prize, the highest award conferred by the UN in the field of education.
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