Bhubaneswar: “Let’s Build a Better India Though Education”, said the visionary late Dr Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, as he dreamt of an India where no child was left behind to muster education. His futuristic plans brought Odisha in the forefront of the education sector in India.
For his remarkable contribution in the field of education late Dr Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, Founder-Chairman, SAI International Group, Bhubaneswar was honoured with the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award on October 12, 2022 at the 16th Annual EducationWorld India School Rankings Awards 2022-23, the world’s largest and most detailed school ranking survey at New Delhi.
His son Vikram Aditya Sahoo received the award. The award was conferred to Dr. Sahoo for his invaluable contribution to the growth and development of K-12 education in Odisha and India for more than 35 years dedicated solely for the betterment of education, its infrastructure and for the promotion of scientific temperament, innovation, and leadership in children and transforming the lives of more than 2 lakh children.
High on his emotions Vikram Aditya Sahoo accepted the honour & thanked EducationWorld for bestowing it on Dr Sahoo. He said, “It’s a great honor for us to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for Dr Sahoo. I am deeply moved on receiving this recognition. The SAI family pledges to keep up the vision of Dr Sahoo of imparting quality education to each child alive following his footprints.”
Late Dr.Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, Founder-Chairman of the SAI International Educational Group, was a visionary and a man of action. His brainchild, SAI International Education Group, comprises of four institutions namely, SAI International School, SAI Angan, and SAI International Residential School.
In 2019, he was elevated to the status of Minister of State, an appointment by the State Government as the Advisor-cum-Working President to Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan, Department of School and Mass Education, Government of Odisha, with the sole mission to establish 314 CBSE English Medium Government Schools, 1 in each block of Odisha.
Dr Sahoo was conferred with the prestigious honorary degree of Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) by the prestigious Utkal University from the Vice President of India in 2021.
In his pursuit of building a happy nation, his work ‘SAI International’, got recognised by the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC). IIMC published a case study on the life of our Founder-Chairman and the journey of SAI International. The case, namely, “SAI International School: In Pursuit of Academic Happiness”, will be taught to all management students who attend the MBA program at the prestigious institution. One of Asia’s finest management institution, IIM Calcutta, has included this case within their core curriculum of management to teach the country’s finest leaders the concept of SAI, the art of entrepreneurship, and education management.
He was bestowed with the most coveted QCI Quality Champion Award 2020 for his perfection of processes and dedication to quality education and his contribution towards innovation, digital technology and scientific temperament.
“Success comes to those who dare to dream big with conviction and hard work”, said Dr.Bijaya Kumar Sahoo to his students of SAI International and Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya, and yes Dr Sahoo dreamed to create a world class educational institution and lead by setting an example for others to emulate. His dream to nurturing and exploring a child’s infinite possibilities through education stands tall for his successors to follow.