Bhubaneswar, January 16: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday participated in a high-level review meeting here on curriculum reform and textbook development in Odisha and proposed a four-point action plan to strengthen the education system in the State.
The meeting focused on the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the state’s preparedness for introducing new textbooks aligned with the national curriculum framework.
During the interaction, the Union Education Minister proposed four key suggestions to strengthen the education system in the State.
“I would like to urge stake holders to focus on four-points - give priority to NIPUN Bharat and strengthen Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN); promote mother-tongue-based education at least up to Class V; further strengthen the PM-POSHAN scheme with emphasis on student nutrition and expand the implementation of 10 bagless school days per year for students of Classes VI to X as envisaged in NEP 2020,” said Pradhan.
The meeting was attended by School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, Archana Sharma Awasthi, Additional Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of India, Dr. N. Tirumala Naik, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, School and Mass Education Department, Ananaya Das, SPD, OSEPA, Manoj Ku Padhy, Director, TE&SCERT, Balmukund Bhuyan, Director, Elementary Education, senior faculty members from NCERT, and other senior officials.
District Education Officers from all 30 districts, along with principals of DIETs, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas, and Eklavya Model Residential Schools joined the meeting virtually.
State School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond said that Odisha has introduced three new subject areas - Art Education, Physical Education & Well-being, and Vocational Education, to promote holistic development of students.
The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) have completed translation and contextualisation of all 55 new textbooks, which will be implemented in all schools from the academic year 2026-27.
To ensure smooth rollout, 1,000 Master Resource Persons have been trained in four batches across four zones of the state. These Master Resource Persons will subsequently train over 1.66 lakh primary teachers from the School and Mass Education Department and ST&SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department at the district level.
It was revealed in the meeting that in line with NEP 2020, Odisha is developing new textbooks and plans to introduce 55 newly developed textbooks for Classes I to VIII from the academic year 2026–27. These textbooks have been translated and contextualised from NCERT materials to reflect Odisha’s local needs, culture, and heritage.
