Naveen Patnaik dedicates 142 schools in five Odisha districts

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday dedicated 142 schools in five districts under the state government's 5T School Transformation programme, which includes 67 schools in Sundargarh, 30 in Cuttack, 23 in Balasore, 12 in Nabarangpur and 10 in Kandhamal.

In the first phase of the 5T School Transformation programme, 1,075 schools in 30 districts of the state have been completed.

Earlier in August, out of these 1075 schools, the Chief Minister has inaugurated 50 transformed schools in Hinili of Ganjam District.

The dedication programme for transformed schools will continue till November 24.

Inaugurating the event, Patnaik said, "The future of the country is being shaped in schools. There is a saying that children constitute one-third of our population, but all of our future, school time is one of the most important times in a child's life, so it's our responsibility to create opportunities for the development of their skills during this time."

Highlighting the 5T initiative, the Chief Minister said, "School transformation is the best example of our 5T programs ( Technology, Teamwork, Time, Transparency and Transformation) This is what made the transformation possible. Technology has given us access to smart classrooms, e-libraries, computers and modern laboratories. Similarly, the joint effort of all of us is Team Work."

"The third principle is time, By November 14, I had ordered the completion of 1,072 schools. It has been completed in the targeted time due to the dedication and hard work of all of you," he added.

"The fourth principle is transparency. Some of the changes that have taken place in schools have been discussed with the people of the area. Transparency is the biggest power of 5T program. All of this has brought about transformations, which we can all see and experience."

The Chief Minister further said that the school transformation programme has eliminated the differences between the schools in the city and the villages.

"The state government has reserved 15 per cent seats in government medical and engineering colleges for the children of government schools, so that their dream of becoming a doctor and engineer can be fulfilled.