Odisha CM Announces Hostel Fee Waiver For School Students

Bhubaneswar: Affirming his government’s resolve to ensure a bright future for children by imparting quality education, Odisha Chief Minister Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday announced waiver of hostel expenses of school students.Speaking at the state-level Sishu Mahotsav 2024 ‘Suravi’ on the occasion of children’s day, the Chief Minister also announced the launch of Godabarisha Primary Adarsh Vidyalaya.

Stating that the school students will no longer have to pay the monthly fee of Rs 2,000 towards hostel expenses, the CM said the state government will bear the hostel expenses from its exchequer. Majhi said the government’s focus is on the development of education, especially at the primary school level. Referring to the state government’s decision to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) in higher education sector from this academic year, he said the move will revolutionise the education sector in the state.Calling upon the students to dream big, the Chief Minister said they should work hard with determination to achieve their goals.

Coming down heavily on the previous BJD government, the CM said though the Centre formulated NEP in 2020, it was not implemented in Odisha for political reasons.Majhi further alleged that the previous government conspired to ruin the future of the students of the state. He claimed that the flagship 5T School programme of the previous government never improved the quality of education. In fact, the quality of education in primary schools has deteriorated substantially, he said . The challenge before the present state government is to provide quality education to children and youth and engage them in nation building, the CM added.