A student of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) has been selected to represent the country in the Malala Day United Nations (UN) Youth Assembly.
Seventeen-year-old Laxman Hembrum has been selected to represent India during the two-day event at the UN headquarters in New York on Malala’s 16th birth anniversary on July 12. UN is observing Malala Day to mark the young girl’s fight to ensure education for girls in Pakistan. Around 120 students from the same number of countries will participate in the conference.
Hembram, who passed Plus Two examination from KISS, belongs to a tribal family in Mayurbhanj district. “I have prepared a presentation on the topic ‘Education for All’. Since I belong to rural area, my presentation will shed light on the education scenario in the region,” said Hembram. He wants to become an engineer and make his family proud of his achievements. KISS founder Achyut Samanta praised Hembram for being selected for being the only participant to represent India in the conference.
When asked what will he ask if he comes across Malala herself during the conference, Hembram said, “I will ask her what drives her fight for her cause. Also what does she aim to do in future to improve education prospects in her country.”
Another student of KISS Amrita Nayak has been selected as part of a 13-member team from India to take part in the ground level panel discussion on United Nations High Level Panel on Millennium Development Goals, 2015. Amrita belongs to Gajapati district. The team is expected to share their views on the progress made by their respective countries in achieving the goals set by UN under the Millennium Development Goals, 2015.