Odisha students to travel free on state buses; free textbooks for Class 1 to 10

NEW DELHI: Odisha School and Mass Education minister Nityananda Gond on Friday announced that school students will be allowed to travel free in state government run buses. Speaking to media persons here, Gond said the school students now can travel free of cost on state government run buses plying under the 'Mukhyamantri Bus Seva' scheme. Gond, however, made it clear that students will have to be in school uniforms and must carry identity cards to avail the benefit.

The minister also stated that while previously only SC and ST students received free textbooks, the government will now provide free textbooks to all students. Students from Class 1 to Class 10 will receive free textbooks, he added. The Odisha government has also decided to merge the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) and the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) in a major step aligned with the NEP-2020, he said.

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The BSE, located in Cuttack, is managing the academics and examination of Class-10 and teacher eligibility test while CHSE here is looking after Classes 11 and 12 examination and academics. The government will merge the two organisations and make one board. However, no decision has been taken about location of the new board, Gond said.

"Primary education will undergo significant changes in line with the National Education Policy. The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) will be developed in line with the NCERT framework, with a greater focus on providing quality education," the minister stated. These decisions were taken at a high-level meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday, he added.