New Delhi: The state government Saturday sought special package under the draft National Education Policy (NEP) for enhancement of education in tribal and hilly regions of Odisha.
After attending the meeting convened by the Union government over the NEP, state Higher Education Minister Arun Sahoo said, “We have demanded special package for education citing that the tribal and hilly regions constitute 15 per cent of the state. So, the state government needs more funds for promotion of education in such areas.”
Appreciating the Union government’s decision to give university status to all colleges across the country, Sahoo stated that the Centre must also consider improving the status of infrastructure and skills in the colleges before giving them university status. “The Centre should also give priority to language and general study in the higher education,” he added.
The Union government, he said, has planned to spend six per cent of GDP on education. This will be a good step for the betterment of education in the country.
Odisha government is spending 17-18 per cent of budget on education.
School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Das urged the Centre to provide funds for introducing tiffin system in primary schools. He also said the merger of primary, upper primary and high schools will be a good step but the Centre should bear the expenses as it will be put huge financial burden on the state government.
The Odisha ministers also suggested that the Centre should have a relook on the recruitment process of teachers in the draft education policy as it is time consuming.
It is to be mentioned here that the Union government Saturday called a meeting of all education ministers here to discuss the several aspects of draft NEP. The Centre held discussions with state ministers on quality education, innovation, research, knowledge super power and fit India movement.
Union Minister of State Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju, stated that sports should be included in the curriculum.