AOHS Alumni Meeting # 1

Date: SUNDAY, Feb 7, 2021, 9.30 am IST

Mode: Zoom Virtual Meeting

Topic: Discussion on Mo School Scheme and CLIP Idea

Convener: Bharat Chandra Parida

Minutes :

1. Meeting was opened by Bharat Chandra Parida, who then asked Kirtan Sahoo to lead the discussion.

2. Mo School scheme and idea of Computer Literacy Improvement Project (CLIP) presented to the participants (see the ppt in annex).

3. Unanimous agreement reached to proceed with CLIP as the starting point. Several value-added points discussed as diversification to be taken up later

4. CLIP infrastructure points/requirements discussed. Details on PC, server, network accessories, projector, scanner/xerox/printer, CCTV, UPS, solar back-up, optical fiber for network discussed. More detail modalities to be finalized later.

5. An Alumni bank account would need to be created, which would be separate from Mo School account for better financial management

6. Science lab / online tutoring / coding / next gen computer learning etc. to be taken up as next level visionary points.

7. Preliminary estimated budget with running budget (recurring operational and maintenance cost) discussed. To be finalized later.

8. Action forward:

a. The Mo school group to be extended for larger reach to all alumni members.

b. Parallel project viability study in computer infrastructure, budget finalization, school management etc. to be worked upon

c. Next meeting to be scheduled in March first week. Special thanks to all members who participated, who silently supported offline for making this meeting successful.

Annex : Computer Literacy Improvement Project Idea

AOHS Alumni Meeting # 2

Date: SUNDAY, Feb 14, 2021, 10 :30 am IST

Mode: Zoom Virtual Meeting

Topic: Discussion with School Management (Project Selection)

OBJECTIVE:

1. To zero in on Project selection for Mo School - CLIP or some other project?

2. If CLIP is agreed, necessary path forward to be discussed in coming days like task force identification, roles and responsibility finalization, project timeline, project execution plan

AGENDA:

1. Setting the stage

2. Sharing the CLIP vision with School management

3. Inviting feedback/reactions from School on CLIP

4. Confirming alignment of interests and concluding project identification

5. Q&A on CLIP for new members

MINUTES:

1. Meeting was opened by Bharat Chandra Parida who then asked Debendra Das to lead the discussion.

2. Healthy discussion organized among all alumni team members including school management over zoom to introspect pros and cons of all viable projects under Mo school Programme.

3. School management apprised school infrastructure for the upcoming project

4. CLIP project benefits shared among participants.

5. Any other project, if not CLIP, was also thoroughly discussed among forum.

6. Existing ICT lab will be used for CLIP at present.

7. Stringent financial transparency will be maintained throughout project execution so that all tax payers fund / alumni contribution will be wisely utilized only for CLIP.

8. Considering that funds will be collected from the same source (AOHS Alumni), it was agreed to focus on this one project first and not keep the options open for other ideas. It’s to avoid distractions.

Meeting Outcomes:

1. All participants agreed collectively to proceed with CLIP project.

2. In the phase-I, Basic computer skills on MS Office Software to be imparted to all grade 8 to 10 students to make students more employable .( Approx 290 students )

3. Next phase will include networking, remote digital learning, programming etc.

Future Goal:

1. Detail project execution plan like task force identification, technical spec finalization, organization structure, health/safety/environmental issues,mo school mission proposal development ,logistics arrangement , resource allocation etc to be worked out for CLIP.

2. Next tentative meeting is scheduled after 2 weeks.

AOHS Alumni Meeting # 3

Date: SUNDAY, Feb 21, 2021, 10 :00 am IST

Mode: Zoom Virtual Meeting

Topic: Preparing the CLIP Project

Minutes:

1. Meeting was opened by Bharat Chandra Parida, who then requested Sankarsan Sahoo to lead the discussions.

2. It was agreed to carry out a detailed inspection of existing computers, monitors, printer & projector to find out whether they are working or NOT, a detail report to be prepared – Devdutta Mohanty & Smrutiranjan Parida to lead the efforts

3. It was agreed to open a joint bank account - Tax related issues to be clarified by Niranjan Nayak

4. Given the nature of expenditures involved in CLIP (both capital and operating expenditures), Govt guidelines of Mo school program to be studied carefully by Prasanna Parida

5. Estimates were provided and discussed on the initial infrastructure cost (capex ) and 3 yrs operational cost ( opex ). Everyone agreed to the approach of including 3 years of opex into the total project cost as mentioned in ppt, and raise the funds accordingly.

6. Since everyone’s moral is high now on Mo school program, it was agreed to have the total funds collection now, this will give us confidence to have proper plan for better execution, including in managing the financial risks.

7. Based on availability of volunteers for diff activities, tasks were assigned to different members. They’ll carry on with the help of core group and publish the progress of those activities in the Mo school Whatsapp forum.

8. Different subgroups to be formed (Slide no – 4) for different categories of activities, a core group to be formed with a maximum of 11 people for overall management of the project activities.

Annex : Formation of Subgroups

AOHS Student Alumni Virtual meeting

Date: 7th March 2021, 10.00 AM IST

Virtual Zoom call

A virtual meeting of AOHS Alumni Group was held on Sunday March 7, 2021 at 10.00 AM IST. The meeting lasted for 2 hours. People from various cities both from inside and outside India connected over Zoom (attendees list in Annex). Mr. Bharat Chandra Parida opened the meeting with a welcome note to the Alumni. He then advised Mr Kirtan Sahoo to facilitate the discussion as per the agenda, which was already shared with the group prior to the meeting, along with the meeting invitation. Different teams working on different aspects of the Computer Literacy Improvement Project (CLIP) were asked to present their work and progress in the meeting. The topics covered under discussion including the final outcomes and the important agreements reached among the Alumni members are summarized below.

1. Technical Matters regarding CLIP

On behalf of the technical team, Mr. Sankarsan Sahoo presented the progress made on technical matters, especially on the technical configuration of the IT equipment needed for CLIP. The agreements are follows:

• The existing equipment (including furniture) in the current ICT lab will go through another round of stress test, any upgradation needed to bring them to functional status will be included in CLIP

• The number of terminals currently available in the ICT lab will be inadequate to cover all students even on a rotation basis. To strike a balance between the need to have smaller class size for adequate teacher attention and to ensure faster coverage of all students for specific lessons, it was agreed to expand the size of the ICT lab to accommodate at least 20 terminals. CLIP would bring another 11 new terminals (10 for students and one for instructor). The technical team after all considerations has recommended these ten new terminals meant for students to have their independent set up (CPU + Monitor configuration) unlike the current set up in the ICT lab. The school management will be requested to provide a bigger space for the improved lab.

• Other equipment and provisions to be included in the project include CCTV with two cameras (one for class-room monitoring and one for outside), high speed wifi, new printer, A/C, chair and desk as needed, annual maintenance contract)

• Technical team has already contacted local vendors as well as vendors in Bhubaneswar to understand the costing of various equipment and confirmed that various assumptions earlier made in project cost estimates are largely in order.

• The team has prepared a course curriculum considering NCERT pattern, which has been shared with the larger group for inputs and refinements. This will be kept as a dynamic document and will be continually improved based on lessons learnt from implementation. The agreement was to give more emphasis to grade 8 & 9 students, as 10th grade students will have the board exam as priority. This will be further discussed with school management. Lessons would broadly include understanding computer h/w architecture, usage of Ms Office applications, and other topics based on absorption by students.

2. Interaction with Mo School Govt Officials

A smaller group of alumni had an interaction with the Mo School Govt officials last week to understand the Mo School Program architecture and the financing modalities. The members appreciated the very prompt response received from the Govt officials, who spent an hour answering number of questions. The following observations were shared by Mr. Debendra Das, Gunanidhi Mohanty, Prasanna Parida, Niranjan Nayak who had participated in this interaction along with several other members.

• Govt officials lauded the efforts of AOHS Alumni, and encouraged Alumni to find time to interact with current students to inspire them and increase their interests and curiosity in new areas of learning

• They encouraged the Alumni to strengthen their involvement in school activities and support well round development

• To a question on if certain types of activities are ineligible under Mo School scheme the officials clarified that anything that does not improve the school environment and education are generally discouraged, e.g. installation of statues

• To a question on whether Mo School scheme has provisions to support innovative programs beyond the initial capital expenditure, the officials clarified that some forms of recurring costs may be considered for funding on an annual basis only, as the Govt budgets usually follow an annual approval cycle. Detailed guidance on this to be available soon.

• Regarding funding of repair and maintenance costs it was clarified that schools usually have a separate head of funding for repair and maintenance of school assets. So the R&M costs may only be considered on a case by case basis.

• Anything that may be perceived as creating a perpetual dependency on the Govt (e.g. hiring of individual tutors) will not be eligible.

• Any funding for recurring cost will be considered only on an ex-post basis due to procedural limitations, meaning expenses have to be incurred first before claiming.

• Given the flexibility as well as the constraints, the members agreed to make best efforts to access the recurring costs as practical and feasible, but to remain prepared for the worst case.

• It was therefore agreed to stick to the original plan of including 3 years of recurring costs into the project cost and the fundraising plan. Availability of some level of funding from Mo School scheme will create space for further improving the ambition levels of CLIP and other activities.

3. Alumni Account Opening

In the previous meetings, it was agreed to open a separate Alumni account to raise funds and implement activities agreed by the Alumni, starting with CLIP. Mr. Niranjan Nayak presented the progress made on this front as follows:

• As per bank guidelines, a resolution is required to open the account. The team is already working on it.

• Account holders have been identified and agreed unanimously - Mr Prasanna Parida and Mr. Niroj Nalini Das

• The resolution will require a Memorandum and bi-laws for the Alumni, which is being drafted currently.

4. Organizing the Alumni for effective delivery

The Alumni has been very active in discussions over the whatsap platform. Given that members are located in different cities and even out of countries, it was agreed to continue discussion over this virtual platform. In order to make the discussions efficient and productive, especially to have a better decision making process, while complying with various procedural requirements, members agreed to formalize a structure beyond the various teams that are already in place. Members agreed to form an executive council. Considerations were given to include both juniors and seniors as well as active volunteers to carry forward the Alumni activities. Suggestions were received from members regarding names to be included in the council. Each member who participated in the meeting was given the opportunity to suggest names and react to the names suggested by others. Some alumni members, who were present in the meeting, and whose names were suggested were asked to confirm their availability to take on this new responsibility. The following names were suggested – Mr. Bharat Chandra Parida (1985), Mr. Prasanna Kumar Parida (1986), Mr. Niranjan Nayak (1986), Mr. Sarada Prasanjit Parida (1986), Kirtan Sahoo (1986), Dr. Bhaskar Nayak (1987), Mr. Niroj Nalini Das (1988), Mr. Pravat Kumar Sahoo (1988), Mr. Debendra Kumar Das (1988), Mr. Sankarsan Sahoo (1988), Mr. Gunanidhi Mohanty (1996), Mr. Smruti Ranjan Parida (1999), Mr. Himansu Sahoo (2007). Everyone except Mr. Sarada Prasanjit Parida, Dr. Bhaskar Nayak, Mr. Niroj Nalini Das and Mr Pravat Kumar Sahoo have accepted this new responsibility of Executive Council Member. The members agreed to follow up with them offline. While Mr. Kirtan Sahoo declined to take on the role of an executive council member, he has assured the members to continue to support the initiative wholeheartedly. In addition, the members also agreed to have an advisory committee. Members suggested the following names for the Advisory Committee – Mr. Debasish Mohanty, Sangram Keshari Parida, Kirtan Sahoo and Babaji Das. Formation of the Advisory Committee will be finalized soon. The date of the executive council meeting will be notified soon.

5. Project Cost and Fund Raising

The project cost information earlier shared with members were again discussed and questions answered. The fund-raising goal of around INR 10 lakh was agreed. Once the bank account is open, members will be notified.

6. Vote of Thanks and Closing

Mr Bharat Parida expressed his gratitude and thanked all participants including those who could not attend the meeting, but have been working behind the scene. He urged the members to work in an unified manner to support of the development of the school and closed the meeting.

Annex : Attendees List :

Bharat Parida

Kirtan Sahoo

Prasanna Parida

Niranjan Nayak

Debendra Das

Sankarsan Sahoo

Prabhat Sahoo

Debasish Muduli

Gunanidhi Mohanty

Satyabrat Nayak

Smruti Ranjan Parida

Himanshu Sahoo

Debadutta Mohanty

Priti Ranjan Swain

Kanhu Charan Sahoo

Biswa Ranjan Barik

AOHS Student Alumni Virtual Meeting #5

(Consultation with School Management, Mo School Committee and the Old Students Association)

Date: 14th March 2021, 10.00 AM IST

Virtual Zoom call

A virtual meeting of AOHS Alumni Group was held with AOHS School Management, it’s Mo School Committee and the members of the AOHS Old Students Association on Sunday March 14, 2021 at 10.00 AM IST. The meeting lasted for 2 hours. People from various cities both from inside and outside India connected over Zoom (attendees list in Annex). The objective of the meeting was to introduce the proposed Computer Literacy Improvement Project (CLIP) to the broader group of stakeholders and seek their views and guidance on the same. Mr. Bharat Chandra Parida opened the meeting with a welcome note to the participants and advised Debendra Das to facilitate the discussion. This was the 5^th meeting on Mo School Computer Literacy Improvement Project (CLIP). Mr. Debendra Das talked about the proposed CLIP project – it’s concept, objectives, design, and the proposed implementation governance arrangements. Mr. Kirtan Sahoo and Mr. Niranjan Nayak further elaborated the project’s governance and financial management aspects as well. Mr. Sankarsan Sahoo also briefed about technical aspects of the project and later expansion of the project from basic computer learnings to internet based distant learning program. The topics covered under discussion including the final outcomes and the important agreements reached among the stakeholders are summarized below.

1. Concept, Design and objectives of CLIP

On behalf of the CLIP Core Committee team, Mr. Debendra Das updated the meeting participants about the progress made regarding the planning of the project including how the Alumni is organized into different teams (verticals) based on their skills, experience and volunteering to effectively implement the project. Brief summary of the discussion is as follows:

· CLIP will start with imparting basic computer lessons to the students – familiarizing them with use of computer and basic applications, with emphasis on hands-on operation.

· At a subsequent stage, depending upon absorption and level of interests, higher level computer learning, including using computers to enhance the quality of education may be considered.

· Project planning is at advanced stage

· Technical group has already decided the needs of the lab including computers procurement and they are in process of taking quotes from different vendors following the Mo school guidelines to refine cost estimates.

· Education group has already prepared a draft of the curriculum for computer education

· Financial management group already developed procedures and guidelines to ensure financial transparency in project implementation and it’s in very advance stage of finalization

· Accounts & Admin group has prepared necessary documentation including Memorandum of Association for the AOHS Alumni, which is required to open a bank account in the name of AOHS Alumni

· Alumni coordination group is continuously working to expand the group and trying to add maximum possible alumni to the what’s app group they created for CLIP. Already 90+ alumni added into that group

2. Interaction with Mo School Govt Officials

Mr. Kirtan Sahoo updated the participants about the interaction of alumni group with Mo School Govt officials, which was specifically arranged to understand the Mo School Program architecture and the financing modalities. The following observations were shared.

· Govt officials had lauded the efforts of AOHS Alumni, and encouraged Alumni to find time to interact with current students to inspire them and increase their interests and curiosity in new areas of learning

· They encouraged the Alumni to strengthen their involvement in school activities and support well round development

· To a question on if certain types of activities are ineligible under Mo School scheme the officials clarified that anything that does not improve the school environment and education are generally discouraged, e.g. installation of statues

· To a question on whether Mo School scheme has provisions to support innovative programs beyond the initial capital expenditure, the officials have clarified that some type of recurring costs may be considered for funding on an annual basis only, as the Govt budgets usually follow an annual approval cycle. Detailed guidance on this to be available soon.

· Regarding funding of repair and maintenance costs it was clarified that schools usually have a separate head of funding for repair and maintenance of school assets. So the R&M costs may only be considered on a case by case basis.

· Anything that may be perceived as creating a perpetual dependency on the Govt (e.g. hiring of individual tutors) will not be eligible.

· Any funding for recurring cost will be considered only on an ex-post basis due to procedural limitations, meaning expenses have to be incurred first before claiming.

· Given the flexibility as well as the constraints, the Alumni will make best efforts to include 3 years of recurring costs into the project cost and the fundraising plan.

3. Alumni Account Opening

Given the interest Alumni to contribute to the development of the school, which requires the Alumni to be actively involved in planning, funding and execution of new projects, the Alumni has agreed to establish AOHS Alumni Association and open and manage its own bank account to raise funds and implement activities agreed by the Alumni, starting with CLIP. Mr. Niranjan Nayak updated the progress made on this front as follows:

· As per bank guidelines, a resolution is required to open the account. It’s in advance stage and most likely to be closed by next week.

· Account holders have been identified and agreed unanimously - Mr. Prasanna Parida and Mr. Niroj Nalini Das.

· The resolution will require a Memorandum and bi-laws for the Alumni, which is being drafted currently and in advance stage of finalization.

4. Project Cost and Fund Raising

The project cost for CLIP has been estimated to be around INR 12 lakh to be funded through a combination of Alumni contribution and Mo School funding in a staggered manner. The fund-raising to be carried out accordingly.

5. Reactions from Stakeholders

Participants were asked to share their observations and reactions regarding the CLIP project, its objectives and the proposed implementation modalities.

· Mr. Alekh Padhiary appreciated the efforts and encouraged the Alumni to expand the member base to reach the fund-raising goal easily

· He extended his personal support to the CLIP project and offered to facilitate its smooth processing if needed

· He suggested the Alumni and the School management to consider additional funding means, especially to explore potential CSR opportunities from some of the big companies based in Paradeep, as the school may come under their catchment

· Mr. Alekh Padhiary advised the Alumni to be diligent on financial matters, and to ensure financial transparency.

· Dr. Girish Sahoo Chandra Sahoo thanked the Alumni for coming forward with this CLIP initiative and expressed his gratitude towards the inclusive approach being followed by the Alumni, and making the efforts to reach out to elderly members of the School Alumni.

· Dr. Sahoo offered his support to the CLIP project.

· Dr. Sahoo offered his personal support to set up a library in the school and encouraged the Alumni to consider this at some point.

· Mr. Parsuram Lenka lauded the efforts of the Alumni and encouraged the younger members to take the lead

· Mrs. Madhusmita Mohapatra (School’s current HM) thanked the Alumni for all the efforts and appreciated the level of indulgence to support the development of the school.

· Mrs. Mohapatra has offered to extend all kind of supports from the School side to make the CLIP project a reality

· In general, overwhelming support was registered for the CLIP project from all stakeholders

6. Re-constitution of the existing Mo School committee

CLIP program needs lot of time, coordination, continuous monitoring of the day to day activities of the Computer Lab and evaluation of students’ progress, etc. It requires expertise and experience relating to computers, IT infrastructure and technical matters in addition to other project planning and implementation skills. Considering these aspects suggestions came in to re-constitute the Mo school committee.

· School HM Mrs. Madhusmita Mohapatra suggested to re-constitute the existing Mo School committee. The core members of the Alumni, who have come forward with the idea of CLIP are to be inducted into the Mo School Committee

· Senior members of the Old Students Association including Mr. Alekh Padhiary and Dr. Girish Chandra Sahoo, agreed to the idea of re-constitution of Mo school committee

· School HM Mrs. Madhusmita Mohapatra proposed Mr. Prasanna Kumar Parida to work with existing Mo school committee and re-constitute the committee after having discussion with existing Mo school committee members and school HM. Also this was agreed and supported by all members

7. Special Mention and Prayers for Speedy Recovery of Smruti Ranjan Parida

The meeting took note of an unfortunate accident that happened the day before the meeting, in which Mr. Smruti Ranjan Parida, one of the young, energetic and sincere members of the Alumni had serious body injury and has been admitted to a hospital in Cuttack. All meeting participants prayed for this speedy recovery.

8. Vote of Thanks and Closing

Mrs. Madhusmita Mohapatra (HM) expressed her gratitude and thanked all participants including those who could not attend the meeting, but have been working behind the scene. He urged the members to work in an unified manner to support of the development of the school and closed the meeting.

Annex: Attendees List:

Mr. Alekh Padhiary

Dr. Girish Chandra Sahoo

Mr. Parsuram Lenka

Mr. Babaji Charan Das

Mr. Bijay Ketan Parida

Mrs. Madhusmita Mohapatra (School HM)

Mr. Bharat Chandra Parida

Mr. Shantanu Parida

Mr. Kirtan Sahoo

Mr. Prasanna Parida

Mr. Niranjan Nayak

Mr. Sarada Prasanjit Parida

Mr. Debendra Das

Mr. Sankarsan Sahoo

Mr. Prabhat Sahoo

Mr. Niroj Nalini Das

Mr. Gunanidhi Mohanty

Mr. Himanshu Sahoo

Mr. Debadutta Mohanty

AOHS Alumni Meeting # 6

Date: SUNDAY, March 28, 2021, 10 :00 am IST

Mode: Zoom Virtual Meeting

Topic: CLIP Fundraising Discussion

Minutes:

1. Meeting was co-chaired by Debendra Das and Niranjan Nayak

2. Several new members had joined the meeting. After introduction by members, the budget for the CLIP project was discussed

3. A fundraising plan with different contribution slabs and targeted number of contributors in each slab totaling Rs 9.0 Lakh was presented and discussed.

4. Identification of committed members for fund raising: Each batch was asked to assign some task force members to reach out to other members to ascertain their interest and potential contribution to fit into a particular slab. The target date to complete this exercise was agreed to be April 10, 2021.

5. Alumni members were encouraged to start contributing to the bank account after 1sr April to the account shared in common forum. Information on bank account was shared.

6. This will help the committee to plan properly for project implementation.

7. Each contribution for this noble cause will be truly honored with appreciation. All contribution will have complete traceability, and will be handled with accountability.

8. Alumni members were encouraged to expand the outreach for wider participation.

9. Members were reminded that CLIP - a mere digital virtual platform, not a single man’s dream. It is a Mo School dream. Our collective ambition to start from CLIP and subsequently diversify to many other innovative subsequent project like super 10 student nourishment, digital library, world class education facility to our students etc.

AOHS Alumni Meeting # 7

Date: SUNDAY, April 4, 2021, 10 :00 am IST

Mode: Zoom Virtual Meeting

Topic: CLIP Fundraising Discussion

Attendee:

Sushant Khuntia

Bharat Parida

Kirtan sahoo

Niranjan Nayak

Prasanna Parida

Debendra Das

Prabhat Sahoo

Namita Parida

Srikant Nath

Siba Santosh Khuntia

Bipra Narayan Sahoo

Gunanidhi Mohanty

Ajay Nayak

Satyabrat Nayak

Debadutt Mohanty

Minutes:

Keeping the tradition of rotating chairs, Niranjan Nayak chaired the meeting.

1. Introduction of members - This time many new members joined first time in the meeting

2. Brief recap of the objective and vision of association explained to new members. Project CLIP again clarified to all members in brief.

3. All new young members were very satisfied with the democratic process of the association and very optimistic to do something for the development of our school.

4. All members again emphasize to go ahead with the CLIP .

5. Available SPOC presented their progress reports on the fundraising activity.

6. SPOC advised to speed up and reach out to their friends and ty to transfer the contributions by 10th April 21.

7. SPOC not attended in the meeting or having no updates will be directly contacted for updates.

8. It was a very successful meeting with sharing of good thoughts and ideas of new meeting.

9. Meeting concluded with a devotional bhajan sung by Sushant Khuntia (1984 batch).

AOHS Alumni Meeting # 8

Date: SUNDAY, April 11, 2021, 10 :00 am IST

Mode: Zoom Virtual Meeting

Topic: CLIP Project Discussion, Consultation with 87 Batch Alumni Members

Minutes:

Meeting was opened by Bharat Chandra Parida, who requested Sankarsan Sahoo to lead the discussion. Discussion points are summarized below.

1. 1987 batch mates proposed to include auditorium / multi facility hall proposal with CLIP.

2. Technical feasibility study report, budget, requirement of resources, logistics, operational cost detail, fund raising plan to meet budget , school management approval

on new proposal need to be submitted for further analysis and go ahead decision.

3. There was an unanimous agreement to proceed with CLIP in the first phase.

4. Any surplus fund beyond Rs.9 lacs of CLIP budget can be diverted for auditorium/ multi facility hall later.

5.1987 batch commented since initial capital expenditures for clip is already reached, there is no valid logic to keep multi facility hall proposal under hold till we meet entire clip budget requirement of 3 year operational expense.

6. 1987 batch suggested to incorporate separate mechanisms for OM expenditure of CLIP project bcz of two reasons, first mo school scheme doesn’t support this component of the project and secondly we don’t see the budget allocated towards this not incurring any leverage appreciation from government side

7. 1987 batch suggested to undertake multi facility hall project in parallel with CLIP bcz we have already reached point of capex expenditure which can be presented to mo school officials for approval. Further mo school scheme may get repealed at any point of time, hence maximum benefit for the school development to be taken into consideration while submitting proposal.

If we avidly stuck to this particular point that any other project would be taken only after the final implementation of CLIP , it would block the avenues for taking up other valuable projects

8. Fund raising process need to be expedited. Till date 2.05 lakh contribution is received from 8 sponsors.

9. Target is to submit proposal for mo school by April end.

10. Now more clarity has been given in this meeting and all members are requested to please keep up the momentum and contribute to the Alumni account.

11. Funds from any political party will not be accepted. Only our alumni contribution at their personal capacity will be accepted.

12.Suggestions for adding new other projects for e.g - sports complex, swimming pool , science lab etc were raised during meeting , but not discussed on their merit in detail.

The meeting was followed up by discussion within the core committee, and consultations with Sr alumni school committee members and retired teachers, who suggested to implement CLIP project first as discussed, designed & estimated by CORE & TECHNICAL committee of the AOHS Alumni.

AOHS Alumni Meeting # 9

Date: SUNDAY, April 25, 2021, 10 :00 am IST

Mode: Zoom Virtual Meeting

Topic: CLIP Fundraising Discussion, AOHS Alumni Association Website Pre-Launch

Minutes:

1. Meeting was chaired by Debendra Das

2. Discussed progress made on fund raising front and how to expedite the process to meet Rs 9 Lakh target

3. Some queries were raised on project submission date and when can it be started

4. In response, it was stated that we are waiting to have at least 2 yrs of operational cost beyond the capital cost to be collected as part of current fundraising.

5. As of Sunday morning around Rs 2.3 Lakh funds were collected and we are targeting to collect at least Rs 5.0 Lakh by mid-May. If this happens, then we can consider submitting the project in May

6. Everyone agreed to extend their helping hand reaching out their friends and if required they can take core grp members into conferencing so that anyone having any queries on CLIP can be clarified

7. A pre-launch website walk thru was organized

8. Everyone gave the consent to have donors photo to be displayed in website

9. Some minor corrections were suggested to the website, which were agreed to be incorporated

AOHS Alumni Meeting # 10

Date : SUNDAY, May 9, 2021, 5.00 pm IST

Mode : Zoom Virtual Meeting

Topic : Fundraising Progress Review

Minutes :

1. Meeting was co-chaired by Debendra Das and Niranjan Nayak

2. Several people had joined for the first time. All members introduced themselves. Noteworthy was the participation of 3 female alumni members.

3. New members were given the opportunity to ask questions regarding the Mo School initiative, the CLIP project and the fundraising process.

4. Few queries on CLIP and it’s operational modalities were clarified. Although there were no specific questions, importance of operational and maintenance cost of the project was explained in detail.

5. The various components of the 9.0 lakh budget were explained.

6. Status of the fundraising was discussed – Approx. Rs 3.9L has been collected from 43 donors. Contributors/sponsors include senior alumni members (as old as 1978 batch) and junior alumni members (as young as 2008 batch). The trend of increased participation of female alumni members was greatly appreciated.

7. Clarifications were sought on whether project proposal can be submitted before Rs 9.0 Lakh is collected.

8. In response, it was again explained that the fundraising target of Rs 9.0 Lakh includes 3 years of estimated operation and maintenance costs as a financial risk management strategy due to potential uncertainty associated with claiming operational and maintenance cost from the Mo School scheme. The Alumni should have enough funds in the bank account in order to be able to sign long term contracts with the service providers to run the facility sustainably.

9. Some members assured that they can contribute additional funds after one year towards operations and maintenance costs if needed. While such positive sentiments were greatly appreciated, members also pointed to the potential risks of such promises. The Alumni Association in partnership with the school management cannot afford to sign any contract with any service provider, without having the commensurate amount in the bank account. Inclusion of three years O&M costs in the project budget was decided to create that reserve pool to help in financial risk management.

10. Members handling the financial matters explained that option of submitting proposal before having Rs 9.0 Lakh in the bank account may be considered if adequate number of committed and credible members can vouch to backstop any payment risk. The core committee will have to evaluate the risk and take a decision on when the proposal can be submitted. This will be communicated to all members at an appropriate time.

11. Any decision to submit the proposal before reaching the Rs 9.0 Lakh target will have to be conditioned upon the understanding that the fundraising process will continue and any funds collected from the alumni members will first go towards meeting the Rs 9.0 Lakh budget needs.

12. Members appreciated the approach and assured to keep up the fundraising drive to meet the Rs 9.0 Lakh goal. Members also acknowledged the need for staying focused on the CLIP project before thinking of any other activities.

13. With the above considerations, members expressed their preference to submit the proposal by end of May, noting it might take 2-3 months for getting the project approved.

14. Members agreed to the proposal of earmarking any surplus money available in the Alumni bank account, after meeting the project’s capex cost, towards 3 years of O&M costs, as a priority. All contributions received from the members will be treated accordingly.

15. After the project discussion, members discussed the prevailing COVID situation in the country and in the state of Odisha. Members prayed for everyone’s safety and wellbeing and chanted the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra. Some members (Sushant Khuntia, Debadutta Mohanty, and Kirtan Sahoo) volunteered to sing some bhajans. Members appreciated the proposal of including this spiritual activity in the meeting. Special thanks to Nibedita Parida, who had joined the meeting for the first time and had volunteered to lead the chanting of the Mahamantra.

16. Meeting ended with a positive note to stay focused and work towards fulfilling the collective mandate of implementing the CLIP project without any distractions.

AOHS Alumni Meeting # 12

Date : SUNDAY, May 23, 2021, 10.00 am IST

Mode : Zoom Virtual Meeting

Topic : Project Submission Preparedness Review

Minutes :

Meeting was opened by Baharat Chandra Parida, who welcomed the members and requested Pravat Kumar Sahoo to chair the meeting. Mr Parida had to leave early due to his official preoccupation in cyclone related emergencies.

Pravat Sahoo greeted the members and chaired the meeting. He appreciated the attendance of the senior alumni members and acknowledged their continued support and guidance for smooth implementation of the CLIP program. Discussions were organized around the following topics.

1. Status of Fundraising (by Debendra Das)

To date, a total amount of INR 4,04,855/- has been received from 46 contributors.

Increased participation of female alumni members in the fundraising process has been observed in the last few weeks. The share of their participation has increased from Zero to 16% in last few weeks.

Additional, contribution is expected in the first week of June. Alumni members are encouraged to expand their outreach activities to increase the fund collection to at least INR 5 Lakh by June 1st week.

Prospects are there to expand the contributors list by at least another 30 members in next few weeks. The fundraising drive will continue.

In order to ensure inclusion of maximum number of contributors in the proposal, it was agreed to wait till first week of June to submit the proposal.

2. Preparedness for Proposal Submission (by Niranjan Nayak and Prasanna Parida)

Based on advice received from the DEO to submit proposal in phases, a draft proposal has already been prepared for the 1st phase, focusing on the infrastructure components

School management has been appraised about our readiness to submit the proposal.

School management has proposed to use one of the larger rooms in the first floor (under construction) for the computer lab. The room is likely to be available in 3 months time.

3. Staying focused to deliver CLIP (Niranjan Nayak)

It was once again clarified that CLIP program is a long-term program, and not a one-time activity. This will require continuous involvement of the Alumni members.

Views were sought from the meeting participants whether we should proceed with submission of the proposal with then current amount of funding available. Everyone supported the idea of going ahead with the submission. The common sentiment was that once we make progress, new members will be encouraged to contribute to the project.

Everyone also agreed to the arrangement that fundraising drive will continue and any additional contribution we receive after project submission will be earmarked for CLIP program and not diverted for any other use until we reach the INR 9.0 Lakh mark.

4. Open discussion on CLIP and Alumni Affairs

A full walkthrough of the website was done and ideas for introducing new pages dedicated to teachers and creative articles from members were endorsed.

Senior members especially, Sangram Parida and Debasis Mohanty lauded the efforts and sincere hard work put in by each and every member and asserted the team that things are heading in the right direction and that success is inevitable. They advised the members to not to be distracted by the undesirable developments in the Alumni group, rather to remain focused and energized to deliver CLIP, which has a long-term vision; and which will impact the current and future students tremendously. In this regard senior members also shared the appreciations received from the DEO for such long term and innovative thinking.

Attendee:

1. Debasis Mohanty

2. Sangram Keshari Parida

3. Bharat Chandra Parida

4. Niranjan Nayak

5. Prasanna Parida

6. Kirtan Sahoo

7. Pravat Kumar Sahoo

8. Niroj Nailini Das

9. Debendra Das

10. Gunanidhi Mohanty

11. Ajay Nayak

12. Smrurti Ranjan Parida