Nabarangpur: Under the supervision of BLOCK Education Officer Mr. Srikant Jani, a special one-day School Management Committee (SMC) development and Teacher-Parent Forum meeting was conducted simultaneously across various schools in Nandahandi Block. According to letter no. 4448 dated 10/04/2025 from Odisha Government’s Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, such meetings were directed to be held on April 19, 2025, in all schools of the state for the first time in the new academic year.
The meeting witnessed participation from Mothers’ Forum, Fathers’ Forum, teachers, cluster education officers, assistant cluster officers, center coordinators, and parents. Key topics discussed included: formulation of the new education policy, National Nutrition Act, provision of uniforms, books, shoes, play materials, display of educational and teaching aids, environmental awareness, safety strategies, handling natural disasters like lightning, floods, cyclones, and issues like child labor. Also discussed were quality mid-day meal systems, character building, disciplined lifestyle, and formation of ideal students.
Although parents expressed happiness over government initiatives, they also voiced concerns and fears. Many schools lack adequate classrooms and subject-specific teachers. Teachers are often preoccupied with various training programs, B.Ed. duties, service-related errands, distributing items like eggs or sweets, sending updates via mobile, organizing extracurricular activities, cultural programs, exhibitions, and meetings — all of which leave little time to complete the academic syllabus within a single school year. This, in turn, affects students’ psychological and educational development.
Both teachers and parents felt that despite the government’s many schemes, unless the Human Resource Department of both the central and state governments truly understand and address ground realities, the goals will not be met. People are questioning whether this government is continuing on the path laid by previous administrations regarding the education system. If not, will parents continue to enroll their children in government schools, or will more schools shut down, leading to complete privatization of education?
However, the discussions were extensive and there is hope that students will ultimately benefit from these efforts. Therefore, the success and shortcomings of such PTM (Parent-Teacher Meeting) platforms should be made transparent to the public, and they should help answer the hidden questions in the minds of local parents, said Cluster Education Officer Mr. Yani.
A new vision was seen forming in the minds of school headteachers like those from Alisar Government Primary School, Rangamati Guda Headteacher B. Anusaya, CRC Lakshmi Dhar Sahu, Khuntia School Headteacher Jagabandhu Majhi, CICCT Suriya Rao, Saruguda School’s Bhima Harijan, and SMC President Bhubaneswar Dash, who enthusiastically contributed to the successful implementation of the program.
Three days prior, Mr. Yani had visited each village within the block and interacted with parents to ensure the success of this initiative. Local parents were heard appreciating the effort. The government’s initiative is expected to offer students a new direction in education and raise awareness among parents — a topic being widely discussed in educated circles.
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