Odisha govt launches 100 model schools in 14 districts to promote quality education

Odisha government has launched 100 Adarsha Vidyalayas and CBSE-affiliated English medium schools in 14 districts of the state. Students of these model schools would get free education and all facilities like mid-day meal, uniform and textbooks free of cost like other state government-run schools.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dedicated these schools to the people at a function at Sasan Ambagaon under his constituency Hinjli, about 35 km from here in Ganjam district.

We hope the schools will fulfill the aspirations of rural talents. Students will not have to run to towns as they will get quality education from these schools in the villages, the Chief Minister said.

Adding he also said that the government, has decided to set up one model school in each block in the state and in the first phase, the 100 schools have been set up in 14 backward districts,including Ganjam.

In the next phase, such schools would be set up in other districts soon, he assured. Around 24,000 students have been enrolled in these schools. Girls constitute 50 per cent of them. Hostel facilities would be provided in each school from next year, School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said.

The model schools have been developed on the lines of Kendriya Vidyalayas and students will study NCERT syllabus. Though the new schools would have Class 6 to 12, this year classes would function from 6 to 8. Each class will have two sections with a student strength of 40 in every section, he said.

Besides text book education, students in model schools would be taught other co-curricular activities like information, communication and technology (ICT), art and craft, song, dance and sports. Odia would be one of the language subjects in English medium schools, Mishra said.

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In future, skill-based education would be introduced in these schools, he said, adding that there would be student exchange programmes with other state-run high schools to improve the educational standards of students.