Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan launched 37 PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalayas and 26 PM SHRI Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in Odisha. Dignitaries, officials, academicians, and students were also present at the event. While speaking at the event, Mr. Pradhan informed that about 800 government schools in Odisha will be developed into PM Shri Schools and more than Rs. 1600 crore will come. He also requested the Chief Minister of Odisha Shri Naveen Patnaik to sign a MoU to implement the PM Shri Yojana in Government Schools of Odisha through which, two writing schools in every block and urban area of Odisha will be developed into PM Shri Schools.
Mr. Pradhan stated that to achieve the goal of a developed India by 2047, the education sector of the country needs to move forward. For that, rural children should be educated in the 21st century to prepare them for the future, he commented. Earlier in the day, the Minister inaugurated the administrative and academic building, dormitory and guest house at the Oriental Language Centre of the Indian Language Institute, Bhubaneswar. Mr. Pradhan, while speaking at the event, highlighted the importance of the development projects that will help to expand the facilities for training Odia, Shantali, Bengali, and Maithili.
Mr. Pradhan also emphasized the unique identity of the Odia language, stating the sweetness of the language spoken in Sambalpur and Ganjam and the elegance of the language in Mayurbhanj and Dhenkanal. He also mentioned that the tribes of Odisha have different languages. The Minister also informed that on the occasion of the Bharatiya Bhasha Diwas, to be celebrated on the birth anniversary of freedom fighter, eminent Tamil poet Mahakabi Chinnaswamy Subramania Bharati, on 11 December, lecture and essay competition on Odia language will be organised in all schools and colleges, to encourage the new generation.
Mr. Pradhan mentioned that through NEP 2020 priority has been given to teaching not only language as a subject but also other subjects in the mother tongue. When children read texts in the language they speak and listen to at an early stage, their ability to research, reason and analyse is enhanced, he commented. PM SHRI schools will showcase the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and emerge as exemplar schools shaping the path towards a brighter future for students. They will create holistic and well-rounded individuals equipped with key 21st-century skills.
