Panchayat Raj High School under the Kamakhyanagar block of Dhenkanal district was established in the year 1922. Located in a rural area, the school was the brainchild of some eminent personalities of Kanpura and surrounding villages of Ektali, Jantaribol, Palli Santrapur, Rajakulakaten; namely Sri Prabhakar Raut, Sri Dandadhar Raut, Sri Dolgobind Raut, Sri ArthabandhuBishwal, Sri Tirthavasi Patra, Sri Suryakant Biswal, Sri Ravi Kumar Samal, Sri Prahlad Sahu and Sri Mihir Kumar Raut. The Prakruti Surakhya Samithi, a major organisation working for environment conservation in Kanpura village, also played a key role in it.
The school, which was privately established, became a government-aided (newly aided) school in 2006. Currently, the school is imparting quality education to 533 students of the local area with a teachers’ strength of 25.
What makes the school special is the involvement of local villagers in day to day developmental work of the institute since its inception. Alumni members have also played a major role in the school’s development journey. Recently, ‘Mo School Abhiyan’ provided further encouragement and a stimulating push to the already motivated staff and students of the high school. From imparting quality education to achieving excellence in sports, debates and co-curricular activities, the school has made a name for itself in the district. The alumni have systematically planned the needs of the school and assured all help in a very systematic manner.
In 2018, when the school joined Mo School Abhiyan, HM Sri Sriram Raut, teachers and staff played an important role in mobilising alumni members through social media and targeted campaigns. The alumni too reciprocated and attended several meetings to create awareness about the Abhiyan, and expressed interest in lending a helping hand to the school. The school received Rs38,43,805 as contributions from the alumni. In addition to this, a matching grant of Rs76,87,610 was received from the state government through Mo School Abhiyan, totaling Rs 1,15,31,415.
In the first phase, a new classroom, a computer lab for the students and a well-designed library was constructed with the active participation of alumni and community members. As students spend most of their daytime in schools, their comfort was another priority for the alumni members. To make the school a happy place for students, a dining hall and comfortable sitting arrangements in every classroom were put in place.
In the second and third phases, construction of another classroom, renovation of playground and kitchen, and extension of the computer lab were completed. In the fourth phase, the school building and the main gate got a new look with a fresh layer of paint.
To inculcate life skills among the students keeping in mind the technological advancements, a smart classroom and a special mathematics lab were proposed by the alumni and school admin. “Construction for these is underway and will be completed soon,” the HM informed.
Notably, a total of 845 former students have provided financial assistance for the development of the school. Among them are Sri Satyajit Raut, Sri Dinesh Das, Smt. Niharika Raut, Sri Dillip Kumar Biswal, Sri Suryakant Bishwal, Sri Loknath Sarangi, Sri Sushant Kumar Patnaik and Sri Preeti Ranjan Divyajyoti. It may be mentioned here that the school is the third-largest school in the state in terms of mobilising funds under Mo School Abhiyan.
The school now has an Eco Club, a Science Club, a Literary Club and a Health and Sanitation Club, which help to create a congenial atmosphere for effective teaching-learning process inside and outside of the classrooms. Realising the importance of gardening, the school administration has involved the students in horticulture and as a result, the school received the ‘Best Garden School Award’ in 2020 for its orchards and vegetable garden. With assistance and mentoring of the alumni members, present students of the school are actively participating in sports, NCC, Scout and Guide and other co-curricular activities.
“The Abhiyan has strengthened the school’s physical and digital infrastructure. Children are able to stay and study at home during the Covid pandemic. The digital infrastructure created under Mo School Abhiyan has ensured that imparting education continues without any hindrance.