Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has reviewed the progress of the Godabarisha Mishra Model Primary School scheme, under which 322 model primary schools are planned across the state to strengthen quality and inclusive primary education.
The first meeting of the State-level Steering Committee for the implementation of the scheme was held at Lok Seva Bhavan on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Anu Garg.
The meeting reviewed the progress of infrastructure development, implementation of the scheme and other key issues related to the establishment of the model primary schools.
Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Deo Ranjan Kumar Singh, School and Mass Education Commissioner-cum-Secretary N. Tirumala Naik, and other members of the committee and senior officials were present.
According to the government, 118 schools have been included in the first phase and 204 in the second phase, taking the total number of proposed schools under the scheme to 322.
The Chief Secretary reviewed the progress of construction work being undertaken by various implementing agencies and issued necessary directions and suggestions to expedite the projects.
The meeting also discussed proposed amendments to certain guidelines relating to school selection and infrastructure. In some locations, the size, width and shape of the available land have made it difficult to implement the originally approved square-shaped building design. A proposal was therefore discussed to allow rectangular building plans where required, depending on local conditions.
Other proposed changes include provisions for acquiring suitable government or private land near the proposed school sites, wherever necessary. The committee also discussed revising the guidelines so that the schools need not be restricted only to panchayat headquarters. Where suitable land is unavailable at the headquarters, schools may be established in the most populated areas of the respective panchayat.
The meeting further discussed strengthening the dedicated Godabarisha Mishra Model Primary School Cell through appropriate technical, academic, administrative, financial and human resource support to improve implementation, monitoring and quality supervision.
The scheme’s guidelines were approved by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in September 2025. A State-level Steering Committee was subsequently constituted in March 2026 to provide policy guidance, strategic direction and oversight for its implementation.
The committee will also review implementation progress regularly, facilitate inter-departmental coordination, address challenges arising during execution and recommend necessary updates to school selection, infrastructure and implementation norms based on field-level feedback.
The proposed schools are expected to provide modern and child-friendly learning environments, with facilities including classrooms, Shishu Vatika, an entrance lobby, head teacher’s room, staff room, store room, office and other essential amenities.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg emphasised that the objective of the scheme goes beyond infrastructure development and focuses on providing quality primary education. She stressed the importance of ensuring the availability of an adequate number of qualified teachers and other necessary facilities for students after the completion of construction work.
The meeting underlined the need to implement the scheme in a time-bound and quality-focused manner, with the larger objective of ensuring improved learning environments and access to quality education for children across Odisha.
