Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday, 7 June laid the foundation stone for 204 Godabarish Mishra Model Primary Schools across 30 districts at a special ceremony in Khordha district, advancing the state's flagship drive to overhaul primary education. The event brings the total number of schools that have received foundation stones under the scheme to 322, following an earlier ceremony at Banpur where 118 schools were inaugurated.

What the Scheme Entails

The Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Vidyalaya scheme was launched in January 2025 at the Banpur area of Khordha district. In its first phase, 2,200 model primary schools will be established across Odisha at a total investment of ₹12,000 crore. The schools are designed to deliver education through modern technologies and are modelled on the historic Bakul Bana Vidyalaya at Satyabadi in Puri district — an institution founded before independence by the Panchasakha, a collective of five visionary freedom fighters and intellectuals from Odisha.

What the Chief Minister Said

'The stronger the foundation, the brighter the child's future will be. Therefore, our government has implemented the Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Vidyalaya Scheme to develop and strengthen the primary education framework. Through this initiative, a more robust and organised learning environment will be created in primary schools. Children will receive education through modern technologies and will have access to the highest standard and qualitative education,' said CM Majhi.

Majhi also emphasised that rote learning alone is insufficient in today's evolving job market. He stressed that children must develop employability, problem-solving skills, and creativity — goals the scheme is designed to address.

Broader Education Push

The Chief Minister outlined a wider package of education reforms already underway in the state. These include implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the PM SHRI Schools programme, Sishu Vatika, the Heritage School Scheme, the Shahid Madho Singh Haath Kharcha Scheme to prevent dropout among tribal students, and the Mukhyamantri Poshan Yojana, which provides mid-day meals from Classes I to X.

On staffing, Majhi noted that the state government has recruited 26,615 teaching and non-teaching staff over the past two years to address acute shortages in primary schools. Steps are also being taken to appoint 45,000 additional teachers over the next three years.

Significance and What Comes Next

The scheme draws symbolic weight from the Panchasakha legacy, positioning modern state-run primary schools within a distinctly Odia intellectual tradition. This comes amid a national push under NEP 2020 to restructure foundational learning, and Odisha's ₹12,000 crore commitment signals one of the larger state-level primary education investments in recent years. Officials indicate that the remaining schools under the first phase of 2,200 will receive foundation stones in subsequent rounds. Majhi asserted that these combined initiatives will lay the groundwork for a Samrudhha Odisha and contribute to the broader vision of a Viksit Bharat.