BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has significantly escalated its battle against educational gaps, successfully re-enrolling 60,452 students back into the state’s schooling system. This massive recovery follows a statewide identification drive that flagged a total of 1,83,216 dropout students, signaling an aggressive push to reach the state’s “Zero Dropout” target.
Central to this effort is the ‘Aaso School Jiba’ (Let’s Go to School) campaign said Minister of School and Mass Education of Odisha Nityananda Gond. This initiative mobilized educators and community leaders to conduct door-to-door surveys to locate children who had left the system. To address the financial hurdles that often lead to dropouts, the government is leveraging the Madho Singh Hath Kharch Scheme, which provides critical financial incentives to students to cover incidental expenses, ensuring that poverty does not stand in the way of attendance.
To support the physical and academic well-being of these returning students, the government has integrated several key pillars:
Nutritional Support: The Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme is being strictly implemented to ensure re-enrolled students receive daily nutrition, acting as a major pull factor for consistent attendance.
Academic Recovery: Students are being supported through the Learning Recovery Plan (LRP) to bridge the learning gaps created during their time out of school.
Infrastructure & Community: The Mo School Abhiyan continues to transform school environments, while the SAMARTHYA program provides specialized resources for children with special needs.
While 60,452 have been successfully brought back in this initial phase, the S&ME Department has ordered Block Education Officers (BEOs) to maintain “Point-to-Point” tracking.
A department official noted, “With the ‘Aaso School Jiba’ campaign and the support of the Madho Singh Hath Kharch Scheme, we are removing both the social and financial barriers to education. Our goal remains the full re-integration of all 1.83 lakh identified children.”
Under new directives, schools must now trigger an immediate home visit if any re-enrolled student is absent for more than seven consecutive days, ensuring the momentum of this drive is not lost.
