Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government Thursday inducted as many as 6,131 newly-appointed secondary school teachers as part of the ongoing school transformation programme under the 5T initiative.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik welcomed the teachers at an orientation programme held at the Kalinga Stadium here.
“Education is the collective aspiration of masses. Teachers are the soul of the education system while students are the symbol of infinite possibilities,” Patnaik said.
Stating that teachers can play an important role in creating interest among students towards study, the chief minister said schools in the state are undergoing major transformation like infrastructural development, smart classrooms, e-library, modern laboratory, improved sanitation, playgrounds and others under 5 T (Team Work, Technology, Transparency, Timely completion leading to Transformation) initiative.
The chief minister said that the contribution of teachers to the society is very significant and special among services. “I welcome you (teachers) for adopting teaching as a profession,” he said.
The chief minister said while 1,075 schools in the state have been transformed so far in the first phase, all government and aided high schools will be developed in similar fashion in a phased manner.
A total of 6,131 teachers have received their appointment letters in the last 47 days. Of them, 2,236 are Arts stream teachers, 1,779 Science, 829 Hindi, 796 Sanskrit and PET, and 3 Telugu teachers.
The government had set a target to fill up 11,000 posts of teachers in the first phase. Only 7,000 applicants have cleared the exam conducted by School and Mass Education Department.
PTI