BHUBANESWAR : Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday launched ‘Mukyamantri Sikhya Puraskar’ for excellence in institutional and individual categories in the field of education.
The award is an effort to make education, a social movement under the 5T principle. As per the chief minister’s office (CMO), 7,519 awards worth Rs 137 crore were given to students, educational institutions and those involved in the field of education. Besides, 2,027 meritorious students were rewarded for performance in the matriculation examination. Balasore, Keonjhar, Jagatsinghpur and Jharsuguda were awarded as best districts in the field of education.
Apart from students, 350 head teachers and 319 teachers were awarded in the individual category. In the institutional category 10 blocks, 1,057 schools, 419 school management committees and 414 gram panchayats were awarded.
Speaking on the occasion, 5T chairman VK Pandian said chief minister Naveen Patnaik had started online studies during the Covid-19 pandemic. Transformation of schools under the 5T principles had started after that and till now 8,000 have been transformed.
Stating school transformation is an example of team work, Pandian said the alumni, elected representatives and administration worked as a team for the success of the programme. He said the awards given by the chief minister will raise the confidence of students. He said steps taken by the statement government has revolutionalised primary and middle education sector. Besides ME schools, transformation of high schools and colleges is also going on. The transformed educational institutions will be dedicated to people soon, he added.