Higher education system collapses in Odisha

Massive dharna by ABVP in front of Assembly

Samanwaya Nanda

Bhubaneswar: Odisha unit of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a state level dharna on September 4 on the eve of Teachers’ Day, in front of the State Assembly against apathetic attitude of the State Government towards higher education. Students from all across the state came to the capital and an impressive rally began from Rashtra Bhasha Prachar Samiti Maidan and culminated at Lower PMG Chowk, where a meeting was held.

Addressing the students gathering, ABVP national secretary Gitanjali Jena said, “The entire higher education system in the state has collapsed and teachers and students are the worse sufferers. The State Government should fill up the vacancies of teachers, abolish the block grant system and extend grant-in-aid to all colleges,” she said.

Blaming the Naveen Patnaik Government for the ‘mess in higher education’ in the state, she said, “Navin Patnaik Government is busy in distributing one rupee rice and has no time for education.”

Addressing the mammoth gathering, ABVP state secretary Hitesh Sahoo came down heavily on the State Government for not fulfilling the genuine demands of the teachers and not filling up the vacant teachers post. “Hundreds of teachers post are lying vacant, many colleges lack basic infrastructure and instead of addressing these problems, the Naveen Patnaik Government is indulging in populist measures like distributing laptops to meritorious students,” he added.

Zonal organising secretary Shri Shyam Moga, joint zonal organising secretary Shri Amitabh Chakravorty, state president Shri Prashanta Rout, state organising secretary Shri Govind Nayak, Shri Tanmay Dash and Shri Bailochan Sahoo were also present on the occasion.