Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday announced free education from the kindergarten to postgraduate levels in government schools and colleges.
Majhi, while addressing a press conference here on the occasion of the BJP government completing two years in the state, said the move will benefit all students of Odisha, especially those from the economically backward classes and girls.
"In order to make education truly free and universal, my government is announcing to make education from KG to PG completely free of cost.
"This will benefit all the students of the state, especially the economically backward classes and girls. Perhaps, such a step in the field of education will be implemented for the first time in the entire country in Odisha," the chief minister said.
Majhi said the decision will strengthen the foundation of the state's youth and contribute to long-term development.
Criticising the previous BJD government, he said that instead of doing anything meaningful, "they just continued to paint schools".
"Knowledge is power. The position in which we are today, literacy is not a big problem. The problem is providing quality education. I wonder how this simple thing did not come to the minds of those in the 24-year-old government," Majhi said.
The CM said his government has already taken two "historic steps" in the education sector - implementing the National Education Policy 2020, and setting up Godavarish Mishra Adarsh Primary Schools in every panchayat.
Out of the planned 2,200 schools in the first phase, the foundation stone for 322 schools has already been laid, he said.
The scheme aims to upgrade schools in all gram panchayats of Odisha.
"Along with this, 26,615 teaching and non-teaching staff have been appointed in the last two years. We will appoint 45,000 more teachers in the next three years," Majhi said.
Four new universities will come up in Odisha and 18 new government colleges have been opened in rural areas, he said.
"In the coming days, Odisha will be made the higher education capital of eastern India," Majhi asserted.
