Odisha government 'transforms' 239 schools, says that 4k schools will be transformed by March

With the inauguration of 239 'transformed schools' on November 29, the Odisha government has completed the first phase of its 5T (teamwork, technology, transparency, transformation and time limit) school transformation programme. The state government aspires to transform as many as 3,300 more schools to reach its target of transforming 4,375 schools by March, 2022 — the birth anniversary month of Biju Patnaik, father of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and former chief minister of the state.

After inaugurating the last set of transformed schools in Koraput, Gajapati, Dhenkanal, Angul, Bargarh and Jajpur districts, CM Naveen Patnaik said, "The school transformation programme has eliminated the differences between the schools in the city and the villages. Now the villages have all the facilities and environment that are available in select schools of the cities." 

The Chief Minister further said that he has always been a well-wisher of the students of Odisha and that he hopes for them to excel. "It is the common responsibility of all of us to help children realise their dreams and it is dreams that chart the way forward in a student's life. Always dreaming big and constantly striving to fulfil them is the meaning of life," he said. Patnaik added that the state government has reserved 15 per cent of seats in government medical and engineering colleges for government school pass-outs so that their dreams can be fulfilled.

Patnaik said that the future of the country is shaped in schools. "There is a saying that children constitute one-third of our population, but for all of our future, school time is one of the most important times in a child's life. It is our responsibility to create opportunities for the development of their skills during this time," he said.