The Student Academic Management System (SAMS) portal of Odisha govt has received the SKOCH Platinum Award 2026 for technology-enabled delivery of higher education services.The SAMS portal of the higher education department is a unified digital platform used for admissions and other academic services by students and institutions across Odisha. The award recognises its role in making higher education administration more transparent and efficient through digital systems.Higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj congratulated team SAMS, saying the recognition reflected the collective efforts of institutions, students, officials and other stakeholders. The govt would continue strengthening digital systems to make higher education services more accessible and efficient, he added.Commissioner-cum-secretary Aravind Agrawal also congratulated the stakeholders and appreciated their efforts.DAV students explore biodiversitySixty students of DAV Public School, Kalinga Nagar, took part in a mini research educational nature camp at Nandankanan Zoological Park and Botanical Garden on Thursday, gaining hands-on exposure to botany and zoology.The students participated in bird watching, tree walks, microorganism studies and insect research. At the zoological park, they observed animals, aquatic plants and their habitats. The programme sought to bridge classroom learning with field-based experience while fostering observation, research, critical thinking, teamwork and environmental responsibility among students.The camp, organised under the guidance of principal Balaram Mahapatra and Prabhat Mohan Dash, programme coordinator, Centre for Environmental Education, Govt of Odisha, involved six teachers and support staff.Bhutan praises KIIT, KISSA 40-member delegation of teachers from Bhutan on a seven-day academic immersion visit to KIIT and KISS interacted with founder Achyuta Samanta on Thursday. The delegation, from Bhutan’s department of school education, ministry of education and skills development, is visiting under the Cambridge Education Academic Immersion Programme’s ‘India Trek’. The teachers praised Samanta’s contribution to education and social development, describing KISS as a social movement that has transformed the lives of tribal children.IIT honours sanitation staffIIT Bhubaneswar felicitated 12 housekeeping and horticulture staff with SafaiMitra Award-2026 during the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign. Director Shreepad Karmalkar presented the awards during the institute’s Swachhata Diwas celebrations on Gandhi Jayanti. The institute organised a mass cleanliness drive on Oct 1, with senior faculty and employees joining housekeeping staff to clean the road outside the main gate. Waste-management awareness, sanitation-worker welfare and waste-to-wealth initiatives were also undertaken.