Odisha to implement major reforms to strengthen primary education

Bhubaneswar, Aug 21 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday announced that the Odisha government will soon implement major reforms to strengthen primary education in Odisha, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Chairing a high-level review meeting on the School & Mass Education department at Lok Seva Bhawan here, the Chief Minister emphasised that quality education will be the foundation of a “Prosperous Odisha by 2036.”

In a major decision taken during the review meeting, the Government has decided to merge the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) and the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) into one board in order to strengthen the school education system in the state.

Similarly, it was decided during the high-level meeting to regularise all schematic primary school teachers in the state.

The Odisha government also decided to fill 44,433 teaching posts across the state over the next three years. This includes 39,366 new positions to meet NEP requirements, along with filling 5,067 vacancies expected by December 2025.

Nearly 15,000 teachers will be recruited every year. Meanwhile, free textbooks are currently provided up to Class 8, and for SC/ST students in Classes 9 and 10, from now all students up to Class 10 will receive free textbooks.

The government will also upgrade the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) along the lines of NCERT and further strengthen the Directorate of Textbook Publication and Marketing.

To safeguard student health, one ANM or multipurpose health worker will be appointed for every 300 hostel students. All approvals for new private schools will be processed through a fully online system.

During the review meeting, Chief Minister Majhi emphasised the importance of teaching tribal children in their native languages.

To support this initiative, a Multilingual Education Centre will be established in Koraput in partnership with SCSTRTI.

Additionally, trained teachers holding B.Ed degrees in Special Education will be appointed as Resource Persons across various clusters to promote inclusive education.

The meeting also decided that all future educational reforms will focus equally on learning quality and student well-being.

The review was attended by School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Principal Secretary to CM Shashwat Mishra, Finance Principal Secretary Sanjeev Mishra, School and Mass Education Secretary Shalini Pandit, OSEPA Director Ananya Das, and other senior officials.

--IANS

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