In a bid to strengthen school education, the Odisha government announced on Thursday, August 21, 2025, that it would merge the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) and the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) into a single board.
The announcement was made during a review meeting of the School and Mass Education (S&ME) Department, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, at Lok Seva Bhawan, reported Orissa Post.
Highlighting the vision of a prosperous Odisha by 2036, the CM said efforts will be made to regularise schematic primary teachers.
Currently, the state has 1,60,319 teaching posts across 45,292 primary schools, with an additional 39,366 posts planned under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
By December 2025, 5,067 positions will become vacant, bringing the total to 44,433 posts to be filled over the next three years.
Majhi also announced that free textbooks will now be provided to all students in Classes 9 and 10, removing previous restrictions based on category.
To ensure student well-being, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) or multipurpose health workers will be appointed for every 300 students in hostels.
Emphasising tribal education, the CM said, “This approach would facilitate better linguistic communication with the students and improve the quality of education.”
Steps will also be taken to set up a multilingual education centre in Odisha's Koraput, and teachers with a BEd in Special Education will serve as resource persons for differently-abled children.
Other decisions include making private school approvals fully online, strengthening the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) in line with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), and enhancing the Directorate of Textbook Publication and Marketing.
