School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra on Thursday told the State Assembly that 59 gram panchayats, including 13 in undivided Koraput district, have no high schools at all though Central norm envisages that every GP should have one high school. The Minister said this while replying to a question put by Tara Prasad Bahinipati and additional questions by many other members.
He said while nine GPs in Malkangiri district have no high schools, eight GPs in Mayurbhanj, seven in Nayagarh, four each in Nuapada and Kandhamal districts, three each in Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh and Kendrapada, two each in Korpaut, Balangir and Bargarh and one each in Baleswar, Dhenkanal, Khordha, Nabarangpur, Rayagada and Subarnapur districts have no high schools.
However, he said the State Government has planned to open 215 new high schools, including 40 in the non-high school GPs as per the norms of the Rashrtriya Madhyamika Siksha Parishad very soon. So far 1,087 upper primary/ME Schools have been upgraded to high schools, he informed. Besides, he informed that the Government is taking steps to recruit 5636 high school teaches and 1,568 non-teaching staffs while claiming that the State has a teacher for 25.32 students against the national ratio of 28:1.
Replying to questions on establishment of model schools and provision of more facilities for girl students, the Minister said the State Government is now facing fund burdens as the Centre has make a total provision of Rs 1 crore in the Union Budget for opening of model schools.