What’s in a Name? Everything, say Odisha villagers over school renaming

A protest erupted in front of the Khandapada block office on Thursday over the alleged renaming of a primary school at Kanasing village in Odisha’s Nayagarh district. Locals, supported by the Bharatiya Bikash Parishad, began a hunger strike demanding the school's name reflect the village's identity.

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According to official sources, tension gripped Kanasing village of Sidhamula panchayat in Khandapada block, as Bharatiya Bikash Parishad launched a hunger strike demanding the renaming of a local primary school. The protestors are opposed to the current name, ‘Rajakiari Primary School’, which they say disconnects the educational institution from its community roots.

The villagers have voiced their dissatisfaction over the State government's decision and are insisting that the school be renamed ‘Kanasing Primary School’ to reflect its geographical and cultural identity. The issue has sparked local unrest, with residents alleging that the current name erases their village's significance.

Khandapada Block Development Officer (BDO) Ankur Abhilash visited the protest site today and engaged in a dialogue with both the villagers and Parishad members. The BDO assured them that a formal proposal regarding the name change has already been forwarded by the Cluster Education Officer and Cluster Resource Coordinator (CRC) to the District Education Officer (DEO), and the local administration.

Authorities have indicated that the delicate issue is under consideration, and a resolution is expected within the next 10 days.

“There was a demand by Bharatiya Bikash Parishad to rename the school as Kanasing Primary School, since it comes under this Mouza. The local Anganwadi centre personnel had also made a similar demand. The Block Education Officer (BEO) has already written in this regard to the DEO concerned,” BDO Ankur Abhilash stated.

“A renaming of a school can only be done by a high-level committee of the State government. However, the process has already started. I have assured them (the Parishad) to regularly follow up at our end,” the BDO expressed.