Odisha Review February - March - 2013 Education and Biju Babu Dr. Tushar Kanta Pattnaik “Our educational system has not changed very much since the British days. The system as it now is only equal the youth for clerical, academic or some administrative jobs. If we want to equip our youth for creative nation building and make them look forward to the future with hope, we should quickly reorient our education system”. -Biju Patnaik. Education is the edifice of social life and aims at the vast Odia speaking territories and tagged these the perfection of the human elements in an areas to neighbouring provinces. The Orissa individual. It brings out the best in man. It is the Division consisting of Cuttack, Puri and Balasore key parameter in the growth strategy of any districts was under the Bengal University till 1912 developing nation. All free nations of the world and then Patna University till 1943. The have moved to higher levels of prosperity and neighbouring states to which the Odia speaking happiness through education. It is verily territories were annexed, neglected it in all aspects recognized as the lever of development as well of modern development including education. as the strongest tool of social change. It in fact Instead of extending modern education in Odia provides the individual with the major means of speaking area these state governments sought to personal enrichment as well as for social and abolish Odia from the school and courts. It was economic advancement. only after the persistent struggle this evil intention against the Odia language was foiled. The state of Odisha was born on the 1st April 1936 with a relatively poor economic and When the separate province of Orissa social condition compared to the rest of the was created in 1936, there were only 5 colleges country. Although the qualitative aspect of the including degree and intermediate, 36 high education was in good shape, the quantitative schools, 180 middle schools in the entire province growth was far from satisfactory. Odisha in fact and only about 3 lakh students were reading in was sadly neglected in modern education by the those schools and colleges. The Orissa School British rulers for a long time. They dismembered of Engineering at Cuttack and Cuttack Medical 96 February - March - 2013 Odisha Review School were the only technical institutions in the he said “The British system of education stands State. The first task of the popular ministry formed in our way squarely because it does not teach in 1937 was to bring all the educational institutions the vital method of learning through our hands. It under one educational authority and one education has encouraged class distinction between a white- code. The State Government wanted to have a collared officer and the man who works in the separate authority as soon as possible and field and factories. All these have been impounded therefore appointed Nilakantha Das to prepare on us by 200 years of slavery and it is we, indeed a scheme for a separate university. alone, who have to do original thinking to breakaway from all this to build our nation as But significant progress was made prosperous and powerful as our erstwhile however in all stages of education only after masters-the British” independence, particularly after the implementation of the five year plans in the state. Primary And Higher Education : After independence and merger of ex-state areas Concerted efforts had been made by his there were 9801 primary schools with about 4.5 government to refurbish the sagging morale of lakh students in the entire state by 1950. Similarly primary education in the State. Arrangements in the wake of independence the state had only have been made for providing Mid Day meals 106 high schools and 286 middle school s with for children reading in Primary schools. The 61136 students. Even agter the establishment of programmme for training for a teachers was Utkal University in 1943 there were only 11 Arts stepped up. Steps had been taken to introduce and Science colleges with an enrolments of 3885 vocational and technological bias in primary school students. The first five year plan was implemented and middle school teaching. Increasing emphasis in this background. was laid on the study of Mathematics, Physics, Plan and Biju Babu : Chemistry in secondary schools. To meet the shortage of secondary trained teacher, an In the two plan periods, there was integrated B.Ed. syllabus was devised. A new pay perceptible increase in the overall various sectors scale was announced for the aided primary school. of education. Despite of it, the deficiency was still Govt. laid down that the minimum qualification alarming as according to the 1961 census for a primary school teacher in future shall be at percentage of literate persons in Odisha was least middle English trained or class IX passed. 21.7% as against 24% for India as a whole. When Biju Patnaik took over reins of state During the third plan period, particularly administration, in the sixties, all was not well in during the year 1962, a bold step was taken to the overall educational scenario of our state. There nationalize textbooks of the primary classes. were severe dearth of primary school teachers Books upto class V were prepared by the government through the Press Preparation and and trained personnel to man the primary Publication Committee consisting of eminent schools. Biju was vociferously critical of British authors of children’s books. A separate press was system of education, which we have inherited. established to print these books at Bhubaneswar. While inaugurating, the Orissa Planning Board on June 15, 1961, he made a scathing attack on our Biju Patnaik’s regime also witnessed inherited educational system from Britishers, as growth of general colleges which helped 97 Odisha Review February - March - 2013 democratization of higher education. Through his such buildings could be justified. Our mechanics encouragement, many private colleges were and engineers should be the best in the country”. established making it possible for the poor and middle class students to have the benefit of higher Biju Patnaik founded the University of education at their door step. Biju also raised a Agriculture and Technology at Bhubaneswar in number of government scholarships for 1961. Burla Engineering College and Regional meritorious students and personnel and that had College of Education at Bhubaneswar were also helped many students to carry out their studies in established during his first spell of chief ministership India and abroad. in the state. With the personal endeavour of Biju, the Sainik School was established in 1962. The The very name of Technical Education primary aim of the school was to prepare boys fascinated Biju. In fact he was the zealous admirer academically, physically and mentally fit for training for technical education, which he wanted to for appointment of commissioned officer. disseminate throughout length and breadth of Odisha. Realizing the importance of technical Another eventful step taken by Mr. Biju education, he was of the view that message of Patnaik was opening up the Regional Engineering science and technology had to be taken to the College at Roukela on August 15, 1961. Biju very heart of rural Odisha. The young men and visualized this will be a technical university on women should be put through purposeful and German pattern for which seven hundred acres intensive courses of education not merely with a of the best land in Rourkela was diverted for the technical bias but with a large measure of technical purpose. The college would be a regional one in content and stress that had to begin at the very which students from different states would receive beginning, i.e at the primary level and built up their training together. This will help emotional through the secondary and higher secondary integration of the engineers. The Engineering stages to the tertiary level. College with the background of the steel plant would provide opportunity for the students to learn With the arrival of Biju Patnaik in the third engineering first hand. plan period, things began to be started in a propitious note. With his impulsive propensity and A Department of Culture Affairs was electric alacrity, Biju had provided the fresh created to look after the Sahitya Academy, stimulant for augmentation of technical education Sangeet Akademi, Lalitkala Akademi, Orissa in Odisha. He exhorted the students to imbibe Sports Council and the State Museum. N.C.C. and inculcate the spirit of excellence and self training was made compulsory in all the colleges reliance while pursuing technical education. While of the state. A training centre in Cost and Work inaugurating the new building at I.T.I Berhampur Accountancy was opened in Ravenshaw College, he once said “He had come to see the boys who Cuttack to impart training to students to qualify were the future of the country. Odisha must be them for diploma examination conducted by the made the best developed state in India. Now they Indian Institute of Cost and Work Accountancy. are lagged behind by a century, we shall have to The National Industries Schools : push it up by all means. The buildings were not matters of their pride. Their real pride was the Prior to the post-war period the Industries young men. If they proved their merit then only Department controlled two industries school at 98 February - March - 2013 Odisha Review Phulbani and Angul. The standard of instruction first plan performance. In the second five year in these two schools was very elementary in plan there had been mushrooming of Industrial nature. During the post-war planning period it was Training Institute. decided to improve their scope and to establish new schools during the subsequent plan periods.