Bidhayak Medha Samman launched to improve edu system in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj on Monday launched the Bidhayak Medha Samman during a headmasters’ conclave in Dhamnagar of Bhadrak district.Attending the conclave on Monday, Suraj, who is also the Dhamnagar MLA, said the initiative aims at strengthening the education system in Dhamnagar Assembly constituency by prioritising quality education, reducing school dropout rates and encouraging students, teachers and educational institutions that demonstrate excellence.Under it, awards will be provided in four categories — student awards, headmaster awards, award for best performing school and best school for dropout reduction.Students scoring A1 grade in the Class X exam and those scoring high in the state-level science exhibitions, sports and cultural competitions will get Rs 5,000 each. Similarly, headmasters of schools with the highest number of A1 graders, lowest dropout rate and highest enrolment in an academic year will get Rs 10,000 each.Based on NEP-2020 benchmarks, teacher-student attendance and academic performance, one school in Dhamnagar will be selected as the best school and get Rs 15 lakh as reward.One primary or secondary school in the constituency that achieves either a 25% reduction in dropout rate within a year or a 15% increase in enrolment compared to the previous year will be selected and awarded Rs 15 lakh.He said a selection committee will be formed to evaluate schools based on NEP-2020 implementation, infrastructure strengthening initiatives, effectiveness of educational schemes and academic and administrative performance.