Odisha Govt To Speed Up Bifurcation Of Plus II & III Campuses: Minister

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will soon take concrete steps for the complete bifurcation of Plus II (higher secondary schools) and Plus III for effective administration of educational institutions.

Stating this during a visit to Malkangiri on the occasion of the Independence Day, Higher Education Minister Suryavanshi Suraj said the long-awaited bifurcation is essential to improve the quality and standard of education in Plus III colleges in the state.

Though the previous government had decided to separate Plus II from Plus III colleges, it is yet to be implemented as far as infrastructure is concerned.

The Minister, who held a review meeting after attending the Independence Day celebrations, said that the state government will provide the required land and infrastructure to accelerate the process of bifurcation.

Higher secondary schools in the state will soon have dedicated campuses, he said.

It may be noted that Plus II came under the School and Mass Education department in 2016-17 academic year, while Plus III remained with the Higher Education department. Separate teaching posts were created for both higher secondary and Plus II.

However, due to lack of adequate infrastructure and faculty members, common campuses have not been separated so far. As per reports, the state has around 787 composite colleges (both autonomous and private) where higher secondary schools, degree and PG colleges continue to function from the same campus and share the infrastructure and even faculty.