Odisha is set to establish India’s first university dedicated to blind students, offering a range of educational and technical programs. With over 50 lakh blind individuals nationwide, including more than 5.21 lakh in Odisha alone and about 2 lakh youths among them, this initiative aims to address their educational needs.
The university will be named in honour of Bhima Bhoi, a blind poet and 19th-century social reformer. It will also feature specialized technical schools of excellence.
Sanyasai Behera, the blind Deputy Secretary of the Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD), emphasized the necessity of this specialized institution to cater to the educational and training requirements of the blind community. A delegation from Japan’s University of Tsukuba, renowned for its work with the blind, recently met with SSEPD officials to discuss this project. Following this meeting, Behera plans to submit a proposal to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
The university will include residential accommodations and an advanced digital lab. Bishnupada Sethi, Principal Secretary of SSEPD, outlined that the campus will offer education starting from class IX for domestic and international students. It will also provide vocational training in areas such as acupuncture and physiotherapy and policy research initiatives.