Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today felicitated outstanding contributors to the field of education at the state-level Mukhyamantri Shiksha Puraskar award ceremony, where districts, teachers, officers, and students were honoured for their achievements.
Jharsuguda district, which secured the first position, was awarded ₹3 crore, while Khordha and Jagatsinghpur, ranked second and third, received ₹2 crore and ₹1 crore respectively.
In addition, 70 teachers, three District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), three District Education Officers, and 10 Block Education Officers were felicitated for their exemplary service.
The Chief Minister also honoured two Scheduled Tribe students who excelled in the NEET examination.
Marking the occasion, Majhi launched the Odisha Curriculum Framework for School Education – 2025, developed in line with the National Education Policy, unveiled a coffee table book celebrating one year of the Nipun Odisha initiative, and rolled out the ‘Padhiba, Gadhhiba Odisha’ campaign aimed at strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy.
School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, addressing the gathering, underlined the age-old tradition of the guru-shishya bond, describing teachers as the architects of discipline, values, and personality development in students. He said the government is working to create a robust education system that integrates life skills, artificial intelligence, and vocational education, equipping students to become self-reliant.
Efforts are also underway to reduce dropout rates, with initiatives like the Child Tracking Survey being used to bring back students to classrooms. The Education department, he noted, has been allocated a record budget of ₹31,000 crore to achieve these goals.
The event was attended by senior officials and education stakeholders. Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the School and Mass Education Department, Shalini Pandit, delivered the welcome address, while OSEPA Project Director Ananya Das proposed the vote of thanks.
