Ms Mala Mishra, the vice-chairperson of DPS Kalinga, had the vision to design and build Odisha’s first school of international standards and holistic learning in 2003. Since then, DPS Kalinga has grown into an awe-inspiring international school to be reckoned with. As there were no such schools in Odisha, Mrs Mishra established both the institutions in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, and she succeeded. She kept all her promises and set a good example. Having started the queue, she made others believe that Odisha is a place where quality education must be present to grow, just like DPS2. Most importantly, the denizens beyond Odisha benefited from having their children receive a qualitative and holistic education, which was like a dream come true.
Due to Mrs Mishra’s understanding of the importance of qualitative education and its implications for a progressive nation, all of this was possible. Even though she started it quietly, it has become an iconic institution in eastern India today. They have created a school environment where the students can explore, discover and learn. The school meets the educational needs of twin cities – Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. She was able to maintain a healthy, continuous service to the education of students during the global pandemic Covid-19.
She was the daughter of a bureaucratic family, whose father served as a chief secretary of Odisha, and the wife of a prominent industrialist, Mahimananda Mishra, who possessed the managerial skills to achieve success with all integrity and a clear vision to offer indeed an international standard education, which also included her decision-making abilities and impartial management of the institute.

It’s easier said than done since you know the impact of the virulent Covid. However, she did overcome it. While keeping up with the changing environment, she took all the measures necessary to enable students to develop their best skills. They incorporated the online teaching mode and tweaked the methods and curriculum for the students to ensure that they understood. Audio-visual aids, extended lesson plans, multiple students’ assessments, and other such things were introduced to enhance the students’ academic, literary, and cultural skills. Despite the pandemic, she ensured that no student’s education was harmed.
In his opinion, such a drastic change was not easy to adapt to; switching from classroom instruction to virtual instruction wasn’t an easy transition. It took a long time for the students and teachers to adjust to the methods and to feel comfortable with them. Although the virtual mode of teaching was planned so that every student gets the best education, not every aspect of the process can be controlled, making online education a process with its merits and demerits. Due to virtual learning, the students spent more time in front of their screens, finding it difficult to concentrate for long periods and to decipher what their teachers were saying. There were also network problems, and devices were misused for activities other than studying. There was a lack of personalized feedback due to improper communication. The physical form of classes helped students socialize and develop their social skills better than virtual classes, which were indeed something to structure respectively.

Despite all the hindrances, she didn’t let her vision get blurred; she committed to providing for multi-dimensional learning and preparing students for the world and future challenges. She states that child empowerment is the philosophy for DPS Kalinga. She believes every student has some latent potential, and they seek to make them aware of this.

Mishra believes if every child is given the right opportunity can prove themselves to their potential and make a mark for themselves.

She is a part of an educational fraternity that has been confined to a specific code of conduct and has to provide the optimum opportunities to reinforce the education process symbiotically. She has faced many orthodox ideologies, which were like science students have a broader career scope than that of commerce and humanities, this thought not only inculcated among parents but students also and thus they were bound by coaching from middle school so that they can get admissions in the stream of science irrespective of their aptitude. She firmly stands for her ideology that every profession has its importance and no other can overpower it. Every profession is equally important to running society.
Mrs Mishra is a lady with a clear vision and ability to turn tides. Today; she has been the source of inspiration for the young generations. Her dedication and hard work in maintaining the holistic teaching approach in Odisha with DPS Kalinga has been a journey of many hindrances, some controllable, some not, while her never giving up her spirit and dedication regarding education and society were commendable. She has galore of recognitions in the respective sphere, and her commendable works led her to make such remarkable achievements a reality.

By Chanchal Verma