Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will soon issue a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for implementing its free undergraduate (+3) and postgraduate (PG) education scheme in state-run higher educational institutions, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said on Saturday.
The SOP will lay down detailed guidelines for the rollout of the scheme and address concerns raised by colleges regarding staff salaries, maintenance expenditure and other operational issues, the minister said while speaking to the media.
According to Suraj, the scheme, approved by the state Cabinet earlier, will cover state universities and government colleges brought under its ambit. However, self-financing and professional courses, as well as unaided private colleges, will remain outside the purview of the initiative.
“Some colleges have sought clarity on issues such as payment of staff salaries and maintenance costs. The department will issue end-to-end guidelines through the SOP to ensure the smooth implementation of the scheme,” the minister said.
He said the Higher Education Department and the School and Mass Education (S&ME) Department are jointly working to create a robust framework for the initiative. The government is also consulting stakeholders, including college principals, students and parents, before finalising the guidelines.
The minister said the initiative marks a significant expansion of the state’s free education programme, which was previously available from kindergarten to Class VIII. By extending the benefit to undergraduate and postgraduate education in government institutions, Odisha aims to make higher education more accessible to students from economically weaker sections.
Suraj said the government is aware of concerns surrounding the implementation of the scheme and assured that the SOP would comprehensively address them before the programme is rolled out.
