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Transforming Education in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: In an effort to enhance the quality of school education in Odisha, the state government announced on Thursday its decision to consolidate the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) and the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) into a unified board.

This significant announcement was made during a review meeting of the School and Mass Education (S&ME) department, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at Lok Seva Bhawan.

The Chief Minister emphasized that to realize the vision of a prosperous Odisha by 2036, a robust focus on school education is essential. He also mentioned plans to regularize the positions of primary teachers.

Currently, Odisha has 160,319 teaching positions across 45,292 primary schools. In line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, an additional 39,366 teaching roles are set to be established.

Moreover, by December 2025, 5,067 teaching positions will become vacant. "In total, 44,433 posts will be filled over the next three years, averaging around 15,000 each year," Majhi stated.

During the meeting, the necessity for a single education board in the state was highlighted to bolster school education.

As a result, the decision to merge BSE and CHSE was made. Currently, while students from Classes I to VIII receive free textbooks, only SC and ST students in Classes IX and X benefit from this provision.

The Chief Minister announced that free textbooks will now be available to all students in Classes IX and X, irrespective of their category.

Acknowledging the importance of health alongside education, it was decided to appoint Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) in hostels.

One ANM or multipurpose health worker will be designated for every 300 students.

Additionally, the approval process for new private schools in Odisha will transition to a fully online system.

The Chief Minister also stressed the significance of educating tribal children in their native languages.

"This strategy will enhance linguistic communication with students and elevate the quality of education," Majhi remarked.

In this regard, initiatives will be taken to establish a multilingual education center in Koraput in partnership with SCSTRTI.

For the education of differently-abled children, regular teachers with a BEd in Special Education will be appointed as resource persons across various clusters.

A decision was also made to align the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

Furthermore, the state government plans to strengthen the Directorate of Textbook Publication and Marketing. Among those present at the meeting was S&ME Minister Nityananda Gond.