Odisha government to open 18 degree colleges in backward districts
BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Thursday announced the opening of government degree (Plus III) colleges in 18 blocks (hitherto educationally uncovered areas) of 10 educationally backwards districts from the 2024-25 academic session.
None of the blocks have any colleges - either private or self-financing. The Higher Education department, in a release, informed that all the new government colleges will offer degree education in the Arts stream. The blocks are in the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Rayagada and Sundargarh. The move is aimed at improving the gross enrolment ratio in higher education in these educationally-backward districts. With this, the number of government degree colleges in the state goes up to 67.
Till the last academic session, the government allowed the opening of aided and self-financing colleges in the state but the number of colleges run by the government stood at 49. Also, the urban and rural distribution of government colleges has not been in accordance with the proportion of students (in the age group of 18-23 years) residing in these areas. According to the Students Academic Management System (SAMS) data, only 12 per cent of the 49 government colleges are in rural and tribal areas of the state.
At present, there are 173 educationally-backward blocks in the state of which 19 do not have any kind of colleges. The last time government colleges were opened in the state was in 2015 with eight model (government) degree colleges established in the educationally-backward districts of Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Boudh, Sonepur, Deogarh, Nayagarh and Nuapada under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)-1 scheme of Central government. Under RUSA-2, five more model degree colleges would open in the state but these are under construction now.
Education for all
The blocks are in 10 districts of the state
The move is aimed at improving gross enrolment ratio in higher education in the educationally-backward districts
There are 173 educationally-backward blocks in the state