Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will fill 44,433 teacher posts over the next three years, with nearly 15,000 recruitments annually, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Thursday. He said the move is aimed at addressing vacancies and strengthening primary education in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Chairing a review meeting of the School and Mass Education Department at Lok Seva Bhawan, Majhi said regularization of schematic primary school teachers and creation of additional posts are priorities for the state’s education roadmap.
Currently, Odisha has 45,292 primary schools with 1,60,319 sanctioned teacher posts. As per NEP 2020 requirements, 39,366 more posts will be created, while 5,067 vacancies are expected by December 2025.
Single Board for School Education
In a major structural reform, the government decided to merge the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) and the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) into a single education board, aimed at improving efficiency and governance.
Student Welfare Measures
Majhi also announced that free textbooks will be provided to all Class 9 and 10 students, extending the benefit beyond SC/ST students. To strengthen health support in hostels, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) will be appointed, with one multi-purpose health worker for every 300 students.
Focus on Inclusivity and Tribal Education
The CM emphasized teaching tribal children in their mother tongue and directed steps to establish a multilingual education center in Koraput in collaboration with SCSTRTI. Additionally, B.Ed.-qualified teachers will be appointed as resource persons for differently-abled children.
Digital Push and Institutional Strengthening
The approval process for private schools will be fully digitized, while the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) will be revamped in line with the NCERT framework. The Directorate of Textbook Publication and Marketing will also be strengthened.
The meeting was attended by School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Principal Secretary to the CM Saswat Mishra, Finance Principal Secretary Sanjeev Mishra, School and Mass Education Secretary Shalini Pandit, and senior officials.
