Bhubaneswar: Announcing a slew of measures on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the state government will take steps to set up model schools in every panchayat of the state.
Stating that every panchayat will have a model school, the Chief Minister said the expenses will be borne by the state government.
The model schools will be named after Odisha’s first Education Minister Godabarisha Mishra, Majhi said during the Teachers’ Day celebrations held in Bhubaneswar.
Notably, budgetary allocation of Rs 50 crore has been made for the new scheme ‘Godabarisha Mishra Adarsha Prathamika Vidyalaya.’ The scheme is aimed at providing quality teaching at primary level to children in rural and semi-urban areas.
With the formation of the BJP government in the state, Odisha has taken an initiative to establish the model school in every panchayat to boost the school education, he said.
This apart, a total of 27,197 teachers will be recruited for the model schools during the current financial year, the CM said, adding that altogether 16, 010 junior teachers will be appointed within three months.
On the occasion, the state government also launched ‘Nipuna Odisha’ programme with the Chief Minister placing emphasis on imparting culture-based teaching.
In his address at the state-level ‘Guru Divas’ function held at Lok Seva Bhawan, the Chief Minister highlighted the significance of Gurus (Teachers) in building the future of society.
He reiterated the state government’s commitment to implementing the National Education Policy 2020 and emphasised the need for teachers to instil values, principles, and ideals in children, alongside providing quality education.
Recalling his own experience as a teacher, Majhi praised the sacrifices made by teachers to shape the future of children. He stressed the importance of respecting gurus, citing India’s rich guru-disciple tradition as a cornerstone of the education system.
Majhi also highlighted two government initiatives aimed at improving education in the state – ‘Madho Singh Hata Kharcha’ scheme to reduce dropout rates among tribal students, benefiting three lakh students, and the ‘Godabarisha Mishra Adarsh Primary School’ scheme for quality education.
School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond and Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj attended the event as guests of honour.
Gond highlighted the importance of teachers, saying knowledge cannot be attained without them. He emphasized the government’s efforts to improve education quality.
Suraj urged students to view their achievement as a resolution, not just a milestone. He praised Odisha’s education sector, citing the National Education Policy-2020’s upcoming implementation.
The event saw the launch of several state government initiatives by the Chief Minister, promoting education and teachers-student tradition.
On this occasion, “Vidyarthi Sambardhana Samaroh (student felicitation programme)” was organised. The CM awarded the Mukhyamantri Siksha Puraskar, Mukhyamantri Bhasa Brutti Puraskar to the best students of 10th and 12th classes of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya and 391 best students of Higher Secondary Board.
Apart from this, the Chief Minister participated in the district-level programme through video conference and felicitated 44,728 students of all 30 districts of the state.
