BHUBANESWAR: The State Government will prepare Vision Document-2022 for the School and Mass Education Department to improve the quality of education in primary and secondary level.
Announcing this in the Assembly, School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said a core committee constituted for the purpose has been asked to submit its report within three months.
The Minister further announced that bicycles will be supplied to all the Class-X students. All girl students, Scheduled and BPL category boy students studying in Class-X in government, non-government, aided high schools, Sanskrit tols and madrasas in the state are beneficiaries under the scheme.
The Minister assured the House that vacant posts of teachers in the schools will be filled up as per the yard stick of the Right to Education Act.
Replying to discussions on the demand of the department, Mishra said the teacher to pupil ratio in the State is better than the national average. However, in the secondary level the State is yet to catch up with the national average. Claiming a drastic fall in the dropout rate in the elementary level, he said this is not a mean achievement when at the national level there is a decline in student attendance.
Highlighting the measures taken by the Government to provide access to education in backward districts, Mishra said a provision of `171 crore has been made in the Budget to open model schools in 51 educationally backward districts.
Besides, the Government has made an outlay of `2 crore in the first phase to set up a State Institute of Open Schooling (SIOS). The proposed SIOS will impart technical training to ‘out of school’ children. Initiating the discussion Tara Prasad Bahinipati urged the Government to fill up all the vacant posts by posting regular teachers. The present system of contractual appointment should be abolished, he said.
The department budget of `9327.12 crore was passed in voice vote. The House also passed the budget of the Higher Education department.