Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister, also handed out employment letters to 443 teachers for various state-run institutions.
Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for a Rs 100-crore Odisha Adarsh Vidyalaya on Sunday, calling it a “milestone” in the state’s ongoing school transformation process. He also sent 443 instructors appointment letters for numerous state-run institutions.
The planned school would be built on a 25-acre plot of land on the outskirts of the state capital, Andharua, and meritorious children from rural regions will be given the option to enrol, he said during a state government event commemorating Teachers’ Day. The institute will enrol about 1,000 students from Classes 11 and 12.
“This will be a defining moment in the state’s continuing school reform effort, and the Adarsh Vidyalaya will give quality education to decent rural children,” he added. On Teachers’ Day, Patnaik paid respect to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the country’s previous President, and thanked educators who received the National Teachers’ Award 2021.
Every year on September 5, Radhakrishnan’s birthday is commemorated as Teachers’ Day. Patnaik stated that his government’s objective is to give high-quality education to all deserving students from around the state. The concept for Adarsh Vidyalaya arose from the fact that many children in rural regions lacked access to high-quality educational institutions.
He stated that the state government provides English medium instruction at secondary and upper secondary Adarsh Vidyalayas, and that outstanding students from rural and semi-urban regions benefit from these institutions. The chief minister said these institutions would serve as role models in providing excellent education across the country, noting that all facilities are being provided to prepare children for different competitive tests at the national level.
“Our mission is to instil confidence in children’s minds so that they can overcome challenges in today’s competitive environment. We will make every effort to realise every student’s ambitions and to establish a strong, fresh, and changed Odisha,” Patnaik added, urging teachers to properly assist students. He also set goals for the Adarsh Vidyalayas, such as encouraging children to donate blood, protect the environment, participate in literacy programmes, practise yoga, participate in sports, and improve their skills.
Patnaik also recommended that each Adarsh Vidyalaya’s authorities develop a ten-year vision statement. Meanwhile, teachers from 177 schools in the state who do not get financial aid from the administration mounted a demonstration here, seeking a grant from the administration. Teachers who were upset said that they had been working for years without receiving a decent wage.
They further claimed that in the 1990s, local leaders established about 550 schools in remote regions, with the exception of 177 receiving government funding. “We’ve been teaching for the past 25 years in the hopes of the government recognising our institutions as eligible for grant-in-aid. However, the state has paid little notice to our plight,” said Pankaj Kumar Parida, a teacher at Athgarh’s Rajnagar High School. The Odisha Secondary School Teachers’ Association has expressed its solidarity with the protesting teachers.