BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for 118 Godabarisha Mishra model primary schools in 30 districts at a special function at Banpur in Khurda district.
Addressing students and members of the public present on the occasion, the chief minister announced that the government will spend `12,000 crore to set up 2,200 model schools in the first phase during the next four years.
Stating that Odisha will be a prosperous state by 2036, the chief minister said the scheme will play a key role to achieve the goal. “As today’s students are nation builders of tomorrow, strengthening the foundation of their education is essential for a developed Odisha and a developed India,” he added.
Majhi said that the son of the soil of Banapur, Pandit Godabarisha Mishra was a freedom fighter, writer and educationist.
The scheme named after him will transform the primary education system of Odisha, he said adding, he had conceived the scheme years ago but after the BJP came to government in the state, it took shape.
The Chief Minister said an allocation of `3,000 crore has been made in the 2025-26 budget for the implementation of the scheme. Under the scheme, each panchayat will have at least one model primary school, equipped with modern teaching tools to ensure that students receive high quality education.
Majhi further said that the government has launched teacher’s training, mentorship and career counselling programmes to enhance the skills and experience of educators. Several other states, he said, are looking to adopt this model.
Addressing the function, School and mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond said the scheme will bring revolutionary changes to the state’s education system, filling gaps in rural schooling and implementing the National Education Policy 2020.
Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said the scheme is a major step toward improving Odisha’s education system. Stating that neglecting primary education would weaken higher education, Harichandan said the Chief Minister has designed this plan with that concern in mind.
Puri MP Sambit Patra said that in the days ahead, the PM Shri Scheme and the Godabarisha Mishra Model Primary School initiative will bring significant change to the state’s education sector.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg also spoke. Students, teachers and guardians from Balangir, Keonjhar, Nabarangpur and Puri districts thanked the Chief Minister for the ambitious plan.