Odisha CM launches ‘Adarsha Vidyalaya’ scheme

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Hinjilicut, Apr 5: 

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today launched the ‘Adarsha Vidyalaya’ (model school) scheme in a function organised in his Assembly constituency Hinjili. Patnaik inaugurated the first Model School at Sasan Ambagaon near Hinjilicut and announced the inauguration of another 99 schools online.

“Students won’t have to go for quality education to cities. Now they will be able to get education in their localities. I hope these Adarsha Vidyalayas will help fulfil the hope and aspirations of the students,” said Patnaik speaking on the occasion.

As many as 88,318 students applied to take admission in the 100 schools, out of which 24,000 students have got a chance to get admission. Uniform and books would be provided free of cost to the students in these schools, said a government source.

Curiously, even though the Chief Minister announced inauguration of 100 schools, School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra recently told the Assembly that in the first phase, construction of 75 out of 100 schools has been completed by end of February. No announcement was made today regarding the  status of the remaining 25 schools.

It may be noted that the government plans to open these model school across all 314 blocks of the state. Constructions of these schools is likely to be completed by 2017-8 academic year, the government had announced earlier.

These schools will follow the CBSE curriculum and Odia will be taught as a second language. They will have classes VI, VII and VIII initially and other classes will open later. Each class will have 80 students in two sections with a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:25 and classroom-student ratio of 1:40.

While 50 per cent seats will be reserved for girl students, reservation for other categories would be proportionate to the percentage of the population of the block. The schools will also have reservations for children of state government employees, official sources said.

Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan was established on September 19, 2015, as a society under the Society Registration Act of Odisha. The General Body is the apex body of the Sangathan headed by School & Mass Education Minister as Chairman & there is an Executive Body headed by DC-cum-ACS as Chairman.