Odisha Chief Minister Lays Foundation Stone For Rs 100-Cr 'Adarsh' School

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday laid the foundation stone for construction of a Rs 100-crore Odisha Adarsh Vidyalaya and said this will be a milestone in the ongoing school transformation process in the state. He also handed over appointment letters to 443 teachers for several state-run schools.

The proposed school will be built over 25 acre of land at Andharua, on the outskirt of the state capital, and the meritorious students from rural areas will get an opportunity to get admission in the institute, he said at a state government programme on the occasion of Teachers' Day.

Around 1,000 pupils in Class 11 and Class 12s will be admitted to the institute. "This will be a milestone in the ongoing school transformation process in the state, and the Adarsh Vidyalaya will provide quality education to the good students of rural areas," he said.

Chief Minister Patnaik paid tribute to Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of the country, on the occasion of Teachers' Day and also congratulated educators who won the National Teachers' Award 2021. Dr Radhakrishnan's birth anniversary on September 5 is celebrated as Teachers' Day every year.

CM Patnaik said his government's goal is to provide quality education to all meritorious children from all parts of the state. The idea of Adarsh Vidyalaya came as many students could not get access to quality educational institutes in rural areas. The state government is providing English medium teaching in secondary and higher secondary Adarsh Vidyalayas and talented students from rural and semi-urban areas are benefiting from these institutes, he said.

Noting that all facilities are being provided in these schools to make students ready for various competitive examinations at the national level, the chief minister said these will act as role models in providing quality education across the country.

"Our goal is to give confidence in the minds of children so that they can overcome obstacles in this competitive world. We will make every effort to realise the dreams of every student and build a strong, new and transformed Odisha," Chief Minister Patnaik said while advising teachers to guide pupils properly. He also set targets for the Adarsh Vidyalayas to encourage students for blood donation, environment protection, literacy campaigns, yoga, sports and healthy lifestyles and skill development. CM Patnaik also suggested the authorities of each Adarsh Vidyalaya to prepare a ten-year vision document.

Meanwhile, teachers of 177 schools which do not get financial assistance from the state government staged a protest here, demanding a grant from the administration. The agitating teachers claimed that they have been working for years without getting a proper salary. They also said around 550 schools were set up in rural areas in the 90s by local leaders and many of these institutes got a grant from the government, barring 177.

"We have been teaching for the last 25 years with the hope that our schools will be recognised for grant-in-aid by the government. But the state has not paid any attention to our ordeal," said Pankaj Kumar Parida, a teacher from Rajnagar High School, Athgarh. The Odisha Secondary School Teachers' Association has extended its support to the agitating educators.