5T Effect: 7-hr a day mandatory for Odisha teachers; 75 % attendance for students   

Teachers’ attendance will be monitored through bio-metric device to ensure that they discharge seven-hour duty on every working day. 

Bhubaneswar: As the Odisha Higher Education Department has come under the purview of the Government’s flagship 5T Initiative, the department has outlined a 17-point action plan to ensure better service delivery in the sector.

As part of the action plan, teachers’ attendance will be monitored through bio-metric device to ensure that they discharge seven-hour duty on every working day.  Besides, students’ attendance of minimum 75 % will be made compulsory for appearing in examinations. This apart, ‘Mo College’ platform will be established in line with State Government’s ‘Mo School’ campaign to allow alumni and other interested persons contribute to the development of the college.

The action plan brings a new change in the guidelines for distribution of free laptop to meritorious students.  A new provision of income criteria in the existing guidelines will exclude students of well-to-do families availing the scheme’s benefit. The Scholarship Guidelines will be changed, following which merit list will prepared at district as well as block level to ensure that all meritorious students get the benefit. A scholarship council will also be formed to maintain transparency in the distribution process.

The action plan also stresses on activating career counseling in universities and reputed colleges and skilling of students of degree colleges to enhance their employability, including soft skills like spoken English.

This apart, colleges and universities will be asked to develop excellence in a few subjects/courses so as to rank as one of the vest institutions in the country to attract outside students, said a letter written to the Planning and Convergence Department from the Higher Education Department.

Incentive will be given to colleges and teachers for getting accredited under NAAC and for moving to higher ranks. Besides, uniform transfer policy will be brought in for both teaching and non-teaching staff, the letter added.

The Government has appointed a nodal officer to coordinate the 5T initiative.

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