BHUBANESWAR: At a time when the state government is expanding the scope of degree colleges and self-financing courses for improving gross enrolment ratio in higher education (18-23 years), two of the educationally-backward districts Nabarangpur and Malkangiri - have seen little development in terms of higher education. There aren’t enough Plus-II or degree colleges in these districts where the literacy rate hovers around 46 to 48 per cent against the state’s 73.4 per cent.
Five out of 10 blocks of Nabarangpur district do not have degree colleges. Over 12,000 students appear and clear the HSC exam from the district annually. According to official reports, there are 33 Plus II or higher secondary schools in the district with the admission capacity of 9,047 students. But the number of degree colleges in the district is only nine with a total of 2,736 seats. And of these nine degree colleges, only one is government-run - the model degree college.
“Instead of travelling long distance within the district or staying in hostels for degree education, most of the students prefer taking admission to degree colleges in either Koraput, Kandhamal or Berhampur as these districts have government college and they anyway have to shift to other districts for doing PG or any other higher degree,” said Siddheswar Biswal, a student of Nabarangpur Degree College.
In Malkangiri, there are 20 higher secondary schools with 5,274 seats but the number of degree colleges narrows down to 10 with the student strength of only 2,640 seats. The only respite here too is the model degree college.
The Centre had opened the model degree colleges in 2016-17 session under Rashtriya Uchattar Siksha Abhiyan 2.0, which aimed to improve the state’s GER to 30 pc by 2020. As per the last All India Survey on Higher Education report of 2019-20, Odisha’s GER continued to stand at 21 pc. The Centre had identified 18 educationally-backwards districts in Odisha, which includes Nabarangpur and Malkangiri.
However, while the Higher Education department is allowing opening of new colleges, increase in seat strength and opening of self-financing colleges in other educationally-backward districts, that has not been the case with the two districts so far.
Sources in the Higher Education department said during the academic session of 2022-23, six applications had been received by the department from different educational agencies for grant of permission to open five degree colleges and one professional college in self-financing mode from the 2023-24 session. These agencies have applied for opening new colleges at Jharigam, Raighar, Kosagumuda and Nabarangpur blocks.
After receipt of a joint inspection report by RDE (Jeypore), these proposals will be placed before the high-powered committee of the department for necessary action. Minister Rohit Pujari said efforts are being made to improve the GER in higher education and both Nabarangpur and Malkangiri are included in the plan of action.
Education divide
Literacy rate hovers around 46%-48% in Nabarangpur and Malkangiri against the state's 73.4%
5 out of 10 blocks of Nabarangpur do not have degree colleges
33 Plus II or higher secondary schools in the district with an admission capacity of 9,047 students
Nine-degree colleges with 2,736 seats
In Malkangiri, there are 20 higher secondary schools with 5,274 seats
10 degree colleges in the district with a student strength of 2,640 seats