Baripada: A two-day training camp on unified sports was organised at the local Lalbazar Primary School on February 28 and March 1, 2025. The camp was organized as part of the Samagra Siksha Programme in Mayurbhanj, and conducted by Bhubaneswar’s Open Learning Systems in collaboration with Special Olympics Bharat-Odisha. The camp aimed to provide training for children with disabilities in the region.
On the opening day of the camp, the chief guest was Mr. Shashidhar Singh, Additional District Education Officer. Other key officials included Mr. Niranjan Nayak, District Inclusive Education Coordinator; Mr. Sasmit Mahapatra, International Coach of SO Bharat-Odisha, representing the organization; Ms. Arpita Mohapatra, State Project Coordinator; and Trinath Samal, State Resource Person for SO Bharat-Odisha. On this day of the event, trainers engaged in discussions regarding how to identify students with disabilities receiving education in regular schools. They focused on providing opportunities for these students to participate in Special Olympics. In-depth discussions with the trainees were held on how to create avenues for the children to participate and excel in the Special Olympics games.
On the second day, various sports activities for both differently-abled and general category children were organized at the Purnachandrapur Government Higher Secondary School playground. A total of 44 Block Resource Persons, 15 students with intellectual disabilities from Rose School (a Special School), and 15 students without intellectual disabilities participated in the games. The sports activities included Unified Football, Athletics, Badminton, Bocce, other fun games, and warm-up sessions.
The headmaster of Rose School, Mr. Sapan Kumar Mahanti, the headmaster of Purnachandrapur School, Mr. Somnath Singh, and other teachers like Mr. Soumya Das actively assisted in the event. The District Education Officer, Mr. Purna Chandra Seth, who is also the Inclusive Education Programme Coordinator, was present at the inauguration, and explained the importance of such training programs. He highlighted how the future success of this initiative would depend on collaborative efforts, and assured that the administration would provide all necessary support to ensure its success.
