BHUBANESWAR: Ashram schools, run by the ST & SC Development Department, will soon be upgraded into high schools. The high schools will also be upgraded to upper high schools to ensure better education for tribal children, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here on Tuesday.
Inaugurating ‘Sargiful’, the three-day annual science and cultural festival of tribal students at Adivasi Ground here, Naveen said 65 ashram schools and 21 high schools will be upgraded in the process within next two academic sessions.
The decision has been taken with an aim to improve teaching standard at the schools which are facing shortage of teachers, said department Secretary Surendra Kumar.
The State Government will build 250 hostels in English-medium schools where tribal students have been enrolled under Anwesha scheme. Around 8,000 tribal children have been enrolled in English-medium schools in the last two years. This apart, six hostels, three each for girls and boys, will be built in Rourkela, Sambalpur and Berhampur under the Akanksha scheme. Each of these hostels will have accommodation facilities for 500 tribal students. These hostels are meant for tribal children who come to urban areas to study in colleges and universities.
There are two such hostels in Bhubaneswar currently.
As many as 1,500 students and teachers from across the State are participating in Sargiful. A series of activities have been lined up including science exhibition on the theme of renewable energy, debate, essay, dance and music competition. Everyday, 30 workshops on clay modelling, best of waste, puppetry, filmmaking, photography, photo editing and mock reporting will be organised. The children were selected for participation through block and district-level competitions held earlier this year.