BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Government will soon launch ‘Mo College’ campaign on the lines of ‘Mo School’ programme for development of colleges across the State.
Announcing this during a discussion on the admissibility of an adjournment motion notice in the Assembly on Tuesday, Higher Education Minister Arun Sahoo said the proposed ‘Mo College’ programme will be started for development of colleges with help from their alumni. The ‘Mo School’ campaign provides a platform for former students to connect with their childhood memories and be a part of the change they want to see in their schools.
Stating that the Government is committed to development of higher education, the Minister said six new degree colleges will be set up at Balangir, Kalahandi, Dhenkanal, Kandhamal, Koraput and Gajapati districts under Rashtriya Uchchatar Siksha Abhiyan (RUSA). He said there are 52 Government degree colleges and eight model colleges in Odisha.
Sahoo said steps have been initiated to fill up vacancies of teaching in staff in colleges. Earlier, initiating the discussion, BJP’s Bishnu Charan Sethi said students are more inclined towards private colleges owing to large-scale vacancies in teaching staff and lack of infrastructure in Government colleges. Stressing the need for reorientation in teaching of history, he said local heroes like Rana Pratap Singh should be given more importance over outsiders like Babar and Akbar.
Leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narasingh Mishra also pointed towards vacancies in colleges and wondered how quality teaching can be ensured in such a condition. He said Sambalpur University should be trifurcated with two more universities at Bhawanipatna and Balangir.