Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Bhubaneswar has won the 
prestigious UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize 2022 for its outstanding literacy 
programme based on the recommendations of an international jury.

    The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize is sponsored by the Government of the 
Republic of Korea and recognizes contributions to mother language-based 
literacy development. KISS has received the award in the category of 'Mother 
Tongue Based Multilingual Education programme'. The award carries an endowment 
of US$ 20,000, a medal and a diploma. KISS is a constituent of the KIIT Group 
of Institutions.

    The award was presented at a global award ceremony organised by UNESCO in 
Côte d'Ivoire on 8 and 9 September 2022 to celebrate International Literacy Day.

    The programme aims to tackle the challenges of poor retention of indigenous 
students in elementary schools due to classroom language barriers and teachers' 
incapacity to deal with multilingual and multicultural classrooms effectively. 

    Every year, the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes focus on a specific 
theme. This year, the spotlight was on Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces. 
KISS is the fifth institute from India and the first from Odisha to receive 
this international prize. It is also the third among the non-profit NGOs and 
first indigenous based organisation to be conferred with this award.

    KISS, the largest institute for the indigenous students in the world, is 
credited with the adoption of innovative pedagogies as learning tools and 
bringing about a perceptible change in the socio-economic lives of the 
indigenous population through education. This recognition also brings the state 
of Odisha to prominence on the world map for its efforts at changing the 
education ecosystem. Moreover, it is also a big day of celebration for 
indigenous communities as it is truly an award for them.

    KISS is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 
India. It was established in 1992-93 by well-known educationist Dr Achyuta 
Samanta to empower the indigenous population through education. It is a fully 
free residential educational institution that provides holistic education, 
comprehensive skilling and sports empowerment.

   The educational initiative at KISS comprises a school, a college and a 
university founded with the objective of providing food, education and 
empowerment to indigenous children.

    "I thank UNESCO for recognizing our efforts and social innovations in the 
field of education, literacy and indigenous empowerment. In my childhood, I 
struggled to get proper education and now I put all my life and soul to provide 
holistic education to millions at margins," Dr. Samanta said in his message.

    KISS has transformed the lives of 70,000 indigenous children (30,000 
children pursuing education and 40,000 alumni) directly and about 700,000 lives 
in the indigenous communities indirectly. Its higher education wing, KISS 
Deemed-to-be University is the world's first university exclusively for 
indigenous students. KISS has in its course of evolution and function 
collaborated with various UN agencies and organs for the implementation of 
several initiatives related to education and empowerment. KISS has been in 
special consultative status with ECOSOC since 2015 and is affiliated with 
UNDPI. 

    Since its inception, KISS has been respecting the diversity of indigenous 
languages and dialects. It has consistently focused on imparting classroom 
teaching in the mother tongue at elementary levels before transitioning to a 
common language. This one-of-its-kind pioneering efforts of KISS took a 
concrete shape in the form of 'Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education' in 
2013.

    KISS, which adopted the Multilingual Education Programme through innovation 
sandbox, has set an example for other educational institutions and governments 
to impart classroom teaching in indigenous languages. It aims to tackle the 
challenges of poor retention of indigenous students in elementary schools due 
to classroom language barriers and teachers' incapacity to deal with 
multilingual and multicultural classrooms effectively. The programme is in a 
hybrid format with face-to-face and distance learning modules using low-tech 
solutions such as television, radio, and text messaging.

    Media Contact:

    Dr. Shradhanjali Nayak
    director.pr@kiit.ac.in    
    +91 674 2725636 

    Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1894670/KISS_Foundation.jpg
    Photo: 
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1894669/Achyuta_Samanta_with_students.jpg
    Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1507512/KISS_Logo.jpg