KEONJHAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday exhorted students to develop scientific thinking and invent new technologies to make the country self-reliant.
Inaugurating the 52nd state-level Baal Baigyanik exhibition at the DN High School here, the chief minister underlined the importance of science and technology in the development of civilisation.
“Science is the foundation for social and economic development. Since ancient times, sages and scholars of our country have created many scientific formulae. Our great astronomer Pathani Samanta was able to accurately measure the distance from earth to the moon with just two pieces of bamboo tubes,” he added.
The chief minister further said efforts were being made to develop applied science and technology for social progress and economic growth. He urged students to not just rely on textbooks but use information available in digital libraries and other online resources to expand their knowledge.
He said the state government was focusing on providing quality education to students under the new National Education Policy-2020. “We have planned to set up one Pandit Godavarish Mishra Model Primary School in every panchayat. Around 2,200 model primary schools will be built at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore in the first phase,” he said.
Majhi also went through the projects prepared by students. Among others, MLAs Fakir Mohan Naik, Akhil Chandra Naik, Keonjhar municipal council chairperson Niku Sahu, director of Teacher Education, SME department Manoj Kumar Padhi, and collector Vishal Singh, were present.
Later in the day, the chief minister attended the golden jubilee celebration of Pragati High School in Maidankel. Addressing the event, he said the state government had come up with several schemes for the development of education.
Majhi also informed that new teacher posts were being created and efforts made to fill up the existing vacancies. “Our double-engine government is taking steps to upgrade schools in every district as PM Shri Schools for their overall development. Similarly, to reduce dropout rate among the tribal children, our government has started the Shahid Madho Singh Haath Kharcha Yojana. These steps will have a positive impact on improving the quality of education in the coming days,” he said.