Bhubaneswar: The National Education Policy, 2020 would play an important role in realising the goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build a ‘Viksit Bharat’, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi here today.
Speaking at a three-day National Workshop on the New Education Policy-2020, Shri Majhi said that the state government has decided to implement the policy starting from the next academic year.
The policy would help in creating a strong infrastructure and provide quality education at the primary level. He highlighted that the current 10+2 education system will be replaced with the 5+3+3+4 system in the State.
Shri Majhi emphasized the introduction of kindergartens, focusing on pre-school education. The initiative aims to build children’s foundational and numerical skills without exerting undue pressure on them.
To support this, comprehensive infrastructure will be developed in the coming years, prioritizing the recruitment of teachers, preparation of textbooks, and provision of other teaching aids, he said.
Stressing the role of technology in education, the Chief Minister said that integrating technology into the education system will be a key focus, with efforts to expand its usage across the sector.
The CM said that the state government has already started taking steps to strengthen the infrastructure of primary education in the state. One school in each panchayat of the state is being developed as a model school under the Godabarish Mishra Adarsh Prathamika Vidyalaya Yojana.
In an effort to reduce the dropout rate of tribal students, the government has launched the Madho Singh Hath Kharch Yojana, he added.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Odisha is going to be the model for the entire nation in bringing reforms in the education system. Both the Centre and Odisha government are working together in this direction, he said.
Though the previous (BJD) government had formally announced to implement NEP in Odisha, the reality was something else. After the BJP formed government in the state, concrete steps have been taken on implementation of the NEP in letter and spirit, Shri Pradhan said.
School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond said, with the implementation of NEP, the students can impart education in their mother tongue along with other multi-languages. Besides, emphasis will also be given for vocational education, digital education, and AI, at school-level, he said.
The State has recently signed a MoU with the Ministry of Education for establishment of PM-SHRI schools in Odisha. In the first phase, 450 PM-SHRI schools will be set up in the state, he said.
“We have requested the Education Ministry to sanction additional PM-SHRI schools for Odisha and the union minister has also expressed his desire to sanction it. This will strengthen the school infrastructure in the state,” Shri Gond said.