Minaketan: multi-skilled educator

Educationist, philanthropist, and wellness evangelist Dr. Satyabrata Minaketan is founder-chairman of the Bhubaneswar-based ODM Educational Group, comprising eight institutions including six schools — ODM Public School and ODM Global School (Bhubaneswar); ODM Sapphire Global School, Ranchi; ODM International School, Durgapur; ODM International School, Angul, and ODM International School, Gurugram — a preschool (Kids World) and ODM Business School. Together, the ODM institutions have 15,000 students mentored by 1,500 teachers on their musters.

Newspeg. In the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings 2024-25, ODM Public School, Bhubaneswar is ranked among India’s Top 10 day-cum-boarding schools and #2 in Odisha while the ODM Global School is ranked among Bhubaneswar’s Top 5 co-ed day schools.

History. An English and education graduate of Ravenshaw College, Cuttack who pressed on to acquire law and MBA degrees from Utkal University, in March 1989, Dr. Minaketan began his career in education teaching children in the red light areas of Bhubaneswar. A year later in 1990, he started the first ODM Public School in a three-room rented house with an enrolment of three children. To fund the school, he practised law during the day and dedicated his evenings to running the school. Having studied in a vernacular — Odia medium school and having experienced considerable communication difficulties, he resolved to provide English medium education which he considers India’s “sole acceptable link language”. Moreover disillusioned with the inefficiencies of post-independence socialism he promoted the ODM B-school to “propagate free enterprise ideology.”

With the CBSE-affiliated ODM Public School quickly establishing a good reputation in Bhubaneswar for dispensing high-quality, balanced education and the ODM Business School raising his public profile, 13 years later, in quick succession he masterminded the promotion of additional ODM schools in Bhubaneswar (2022), Ranchi (2023), Durgapur (2023), Angul (2024) — all educationally under-served cities, and most recently in Gurugram (2024). Minaketan also manages the Utkal Gourav International School which offers free-of-charge education to poor, destitute and tribal children.

Direct talk. “All ODM schools offer quality English-medium education with a balanced mix of academics, extra-curricular and sports education. I firmly believe that English-medium education is the best passport for social upward mobility and can break all caste, class and religious barriers,” says Minaketan.

Also a social activist, he has established three free-of-charge schools/institutes for tribal children and women and a health centre in Odisha. Despite this round-the-clock activism, Minaketan has also authored 32 books on education, health and motivation under his ‘You Can’ series. A committed nature cure enthusiast he has also established Healthville, a premium yoga and nature hospital “serving people from all economic backgrounds.”

Future plans. With the group’s newest Cambridge (UK)-affiliated ODM International School, Gurugram, having admitted its first batch of students in the past academic year (2024-25), Minaketan is bent on taking his K-12 education philosophy and expertise beyond Odisha and eastern India. Gurugram in Delhi NCR hosts some of the country’s most capital-intensive internationally affiliated primary-secondaries including Heritage Xperiential and the Shiv Nadar School. But Minaketan is confident about ODM International’s future prospects. “Over the past 25 years, we have acquired sufficient experience of providing highest quality school education. Establishing ODM International in Gurugram will be a test and great learning opportunity. Every child in the country has the right to equal opportunity in education. My mission is to try my best to make that a reality,” says Minaketan.

Wind beneath your wings!

Dilip Thakore