Parliament Question: Implementation of Samagra Shiksha in Odisha

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 2106 ANSWERED ON- 11/03/2026 Implementation of Samagra Shiksha in Odisha 2106 Smt. Mamata Mohanta: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the progress made under Samagra Shiksha in Odisha, including infrastructure, smart classrooms and teacher capacity building; (b) the number of schools upgraded, hostels constructed and digital learning facilities provided in tribal-dominated districts such as Mayurbhanj; (c) whether special support measures have been provided to improve learning outcomes in tribal areas; and (d) the steps taken to strengthen quality, digital access and inclusive education in such regions? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (d): Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and majority of the schools come under the purview of the respective State and UT Government. Under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, State Government is supported based on annual plans prepared by the State based on their requirements and priority. As informed by the State Govt. of Odisha, the present status of school infrastructure is at Annexure. Under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, 46 Primary Schools, 77 Upper Primary Schools and 245 Secondary Schools have been upgraded to Upper primary schools, Secondary Schools and Higher Secondary schools respectively, from 2018-19 onwards. Under Samagra Shiksha an amount of ₹ 189431.81 lakh has been approved since 2018-19 for improvement of school infrastructure in Odisha which includes construction of new schools, additional classroom ,Art Cultural Room, Biology Lab, boundary wall , boys’ toilets, Chemistry Lab, Computer Room, ramps for Children with Special Needs (CWSN), CWSN Toilets, drinking water, electrification, girls’ toilets, lab equipment, library room, major repair, Physics Lab, science lab, solar panel etc. To strengthen digital learning and smart classroom facilities, smart classrooms have been provided in 6427 Government Upper Primary Schools, 8679 Government and aided Secondary Schools, 310 Government Higher Secondary Schools and 121 Government Vocational Higher Secondary Schools. ICT facilities are available in 8679 Government and aided Secondary Schools and 224 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) hostels. 37 Government Higher Secondary Schools have 50 seater digital libraries. Digital assessment facilities are available in 980 Secondary Schools, with 20 tablets provided to each school to access digital content in the classroom and 96718 Primary Level teachers have been provided with tablet. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sanctioned 111 EklavyaModel Residential Schools (EMRS) schools in Odisha to provide quality education to the tribal children in their own environment located in tribal dominant districts including 23 in Mayurbhanj. To ensure quality education in remote and tribal districts, as informed by Govt. of Odisha, multiple academic and administrative measures have been undertaken. Curriculum and learning resource readiness has been ensured through provision of student workbooks for Vidya Pravesh and foundational literacy and numeracy, structured learning aids, student kits, teacher handbooks and academic calendars. Sishu Vatika classes for children (including tribal children) aged five to six years have been introduced in all primary schools having Grade I from the academic year 2025-26. A statewide reading promotion campaign has been implemented in schools from Class I to VIII to improve reading skills, with student progress monitored monthly through the Reading Tracker and Literacy Meter up to March 2026. Capacity building of teachers is being carried out through monthly cluster meetings and the use of Sikhyan Sopan to track student competencies and plan timely interventions. The Learning Enhancement Programme has been implemented in middle schools from Class VI to VIII focusing on English, Odia and Mathematics, while targeted programmes UTKARSH for Class IX and UTKARSH+ for Class X are being implemented to bridge learning gaps in Odia, English, Mathematics and Science. For tribal students, mother-tongue-based multilingual education is operational in 17 districts covering 1317 schools in 21 tribal languages, supported by 3188 multilingual education teachers. The state has undertaken several targeted measures to strengthen teacher capacity, improve teaching- learning materials, and enhance evaluation frameworks in tribal-dominated districts including Mayurbhanj. The key initiatives include Development of Multilingual Education (MLE) Textbooks, Promotion of Low-Cost and No-Cost Teaching Learning Materials (TLMs), Capacity Building of Academic Functionaries, Training on Indigenous Toy-Based Pedagogy, Strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms (The ‘Mayurbhanj Samikhya’ Monitoring App has been developed to enable real-time monitoring of academic activities by district and block-level officers), Development of Academic Content for Secondary Classes. The district of Mayurbhanj has implemented Medhavi Mayurbhanj 2.0, a focused academic support initiative for Class X students aimed at improving learning outcomes and strengthening performance in board examinations through targeted mentoring and structured academic interventions. A dedicated district-level career counselling portal has been developed to provide structured guidance, career awareness, and counselling support to students, enabling them to make informed academic and vocational choices. Mayurbhanj DIET has established a Santali branch for pre-service teacher training. As part of the curriculum, trainee teachers develop Santali language–based questions and teaching materials for lesson plan demonstrations, thereby strengthening multilingual pedagogy and culturally responsive teaching practices. ****Annexure ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2106 ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026 ASKED BY SMT. MAMATA MOHANTA REGARDING “IMPLEMENTATION OF SAMAGRA SHIKSHA IN ODISHA”. Total Number of Schools in Odisha 61467 S.No. Component Number of Schools 1. Schools having Building Blocks 61451 2. Schools having Boundary Wall 57522 3. Schools having Toilet 61264 4. Schools having Boys Toilet 59649 5. Schools having Girls Toilet 60582 6. Schools having CWSN Boys Toilet 41573 7. Schools having CWSN Girls toilet 38367 8. Schools having drinking water facility 61467 9. Schools having Library Books available 61318 10. Schools having Play Ground facility 51070 11. Schools having Ramps available 58550 12. Schools having Kitchen Garden available 57398 13. Schools having Kitchen Shed available 55131 14. Schools having Internet available 51490 15. Schools having Functional incinerator in Girls Toilet (Upper 49870 Primary School/Secondary/Higher Secondary School) 16. Schools having Sanitary pad availability (Upper Primary 43221 School/Secondary/Higher Secondary School) 17. Schools having Electricity 59565 18. Schools having handwash points 60297 19. Schools having Furniture available 40141 Source: State Govt. of Odisha ****