Industry Odisha Bureau, May 2: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has called for a ‘revolutionary change’ in the educational environment of the state to develop Odisha as the ‘knowledge hub’ of India.
Addressing a two-day national-level workshop organized here on the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP-2020), the Chief Minister said that the priority of his government is to overcome the inertia in the education sector for many years.
The NEP, prepared under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is not just a government document, but it is a great mission to establish India as the ‘knowledge capital’ of the world.
“Education is not just bookish knowledge, but it is the foundation of the progress of human civilization. We are committed to making our children ‘Industry-Ready’ and able to compete globally,” he said.
Making education the top priority of the government, a huge budget of Rs 41,273 crore has been allocated for the education sector in the current financial year 2026-27.
According to the Chief Minister, this investment will be like a strong foundation for the bright future of the youth of Odisha. Through this initiative, the aim is to make the education infrastructure of the state world-class.
The government has launched the ‘Godavarish Mishra Adarsh Vidyalaya’ scheme to bridge the educational gap between rural and urban areas. With an expenditure of Rs 12,000 crore for this ambitious project, one modern school will be established in 6,794 gram panchayats of the State, he pointed out.
These schools will have access to advanced classrooms, laboratories and advanced sports facilities like those in urban areas, which will help the talented students of the villages to get quality education in their own areas, he further stated.
Majhi said his government has taken a landmark decision in the field of higher education with an emphasis on social justice and equality. Now, 11.25 percent reservation has been implemented for SEBC category students in higher education.
In addition, direct financial assistance is being provided through the ‘Shaheed Madho Singh Haatkharcha Yojana’ to prevent drop-out of students from Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
The Chief Minister has asserted that this social reform initiative will play an important role in bringing children from the last rung of the society into the mainstream of education.
On the other hand, the government has made innovative efforts to establish Odia identity in the global arena and promote education in mother tongue.
The State Government has signed an important MoU with IGNOU to introduce technical and higher education courses in Odia language. This will remove the language barrier and enable students to easily understand complex subjects in their mother tongue, the CM noted.
He further stated that all these steps will help Odisha to become the best ‘knowledge-based society’ in the country in the coming days.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan highly praised the history and tradition of Odisha and said that Odisha is the only state in the entire country where a unique combination of culture and education can be seen.
The philosophy of great personalities like Adikabi Sarala Das, Vyasa Kabi Fakirmohan and Santhakabi Bhim Bhoi has introduced Odisha to the world as a civilized society, Pradhan said.
He further said that about 70 percent of the population of Odisha is between the age of 44, which is a huge opportunity for innovation. Education is now not limited to degrees only, but it has become a means of capacity building.
While the current GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) of Odisha is 23 percent, he called for making it higher than the national average (29%) by 2036.
Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj has given a new direction to the education system of Odisha. He expressed his opinion that this workshop is not just a seminar, but a ‘thinking camp’ for building a developed Odisha.
Suraj informed about the progress made in the education sector and said that the State Government has been successful in getting more than Rs 700 crores of grants through the PM-USHA scheme.
To improve the quality of education, the State Government has appointed new provosts in 14 universities, he added.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister released the Chief Minister’s Internship Guidebook and inaugurated the ‘ShakthiShree’ mobile app for the empowerment of the youth and students. At the beginning of the programme, Higher Education Secretary Aravind Agarwal welcomed all the guests and gave information about the focus of this workshop.
