The Vidya Bhawan, a free residential school for deprived children, celebrated its 9th foundation day at its campus at Khudaposi in Keonjhar district on Tuesday.
Keonjhar Sub-Collector Purna Chandra Mishra and a senior Government officer, Santosh Nayak inaugurated the function.
Schoolchildren moved on a march around the village before the formal ceremonies of flag hoisting and parade. Bharat Chandra Patra unfurled the National Flag after which students spoke on the school and the4 Independence Day.
Winners of different competitions were awarded by social workers, Dharitri Rout, Narendra Mohapatra and Benudhar Mishra and others. Artists of the Binapani Kala Kendra performed the opening dance followed by series of cultural programme presented by the inmates. Film Star Udayan Aparajeet joined the performers on stage and was cheered by the huge gathering.
TCS head Manoj Panda, MBC news channel head Apurba Mohanty, Triveni CSR GM Bikram Kesari Patsani, TEMPl senior officer Alok Saha and the Baria police station IIC graced as guests.
“Within a short span of nine years, the Vidya Bhawan supported by the Thriveni has earned the fame of being the first Odia medium school in the district to run on green energy and to have a clean and quiet campus with adequate infrastructure and staff, and for which it has received ISO certification. It has also been awarded at the national level for promoting quality education in tribal areas,” said founder Malaya Mohapatra.
The school has been providing education from primary to high school level.