On July 16, the Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi asked the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (SC & ST) Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department to upgrade at least 14 high schools into higher secondary institutions. The direction was issued while Majhi undertook a review of the department, as stated in a report by PTI.

The CM said, "There is a need to upgrade more high schools into higher secondary schools to reduce the dropout rate." Further, he directed the department to improve the condition of hostels of various primary schools managed by the department, particularly in tribal-dominated districts.

As the government has taken up a programme to improve the condition of 301 such department hostels in the undivided Koraput district, Majhi advised officials to increase the capacity of these hostels to 100, as and where needed, for the convenience of the students. 

Emphasising the need to improve food quality for the children in the hostels run by the department, the CM suggested giving utmost importance to health, safety and cleanliness. Additionally, the chief minister also advised the ministers and secretaries to visit such schools and hostels regularly and check the management of these institutions.

During the meeting, the chief minister was informed that Odisha has the highest percentage of dropouts, 27.3 per cent, at the secondary level, according to the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) India Index 2023 released by NITI Aayog recently, as stated in a report by PTI.