Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Saturday performed the customary ‘Khadi Chuan’ ritual, marking the beginning of studies, for first-time students at a function in Bhubaneswar and asserted that no child in the state would remain deprived of education.
Majhi, a teacher by profession, held the hands of children and guided them to write “Maa-Bapa” (mother-father) in Odia using chalk and slate at the Raj Bhavan Government Upper Primary School, the venue of the state-level “Khadi Chuan” programme.
CM Majhi visited exhibitions showcasing teaching-learning materials developed under initiatives such as ‘Nipun Odisha’ and ‘Padhiba Gadhhiba Odisha’, which are being implemented in schools across the state.
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On the occasion, he distributed educational kits, appreciated children’s artwork and flagged off an awareness chariot to promote enrollment.
The ‘Khadi Chuan’ ceremony, considered a traditional initiation into education in Odisha, has been institutionalised at the government level since last year to encourage school enrollment.
To boost enrollment, nearly five lakh invitation letters have been distributed across the state this year. The Chief Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring no child is deprived of education and said the goal is to achieve 100 per cent enrollment.
He said that in line with the National Education Policy, anganwadi centres will be gradually integrated into pre-primary education under the “Shishu Vatika” framework.
School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, Commissioner-cum-Secretary N. Thirumala Naik, OSEPA Project Director Ananya Das and several MLAs were present.
PNN & Agencies
