| As of now, Nityananda Gond is the Education Minister of Odisha. He is Minister of School and Mass Education, ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Government of Odisha. |
Nityananda Gond works as a politician in India. He holds the position of Minister of School and Mass Education. He also serves as the Minister for ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare in Odisha's government. He has been elected for the Umerkote Assembly Constituency in the Odisha Legislative Assembly. This constituency sits in the Nabarangpur district.
Gond studied at Berhampur University. He earned a Master's degree in History in 2000. He then got an LLB from Jeypore Law College in 2003.
On June 12, 2024, Gond took his oath of office. This happened at the same time as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The ceremony took place at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar. Odisha Governor Raghubar Das gave them the oath. Many big names showed up for the event. These included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. Chief Ministers from ten states led by the BJP also came to watch.
The important details of Education Minister of Odisha, Nityananda Gond is tabulated below:
Born | 1 June 1978 (age 46) |
Spouse | Chaiti Gond |
Profession | Advocate, Politician |
An Overview of Education Department of Odisha
The Education Minister of Odisha shapes both the education policies of the state and runs educational institutions effectively. As the Education Minister of Odisha, the person manages all aspects of Department of Higher Education Odisha through leadership of the state's colleges and universities as well as technical institutes. The minister works together with educational bodies alongside stakeholders and expert professionals to foster constant development in the education sector.
The government appointed minister continuously works to execute intensive educational reforms while strengthening infrastructure and creating educational policies that enhance educational quality throughout Odisha. The minister operates extensively together with the Education Secretary of Odisha to guarantee both strong educational governance and proper execution of educational policies.
Role and Responsibilities of Education Minister of Odisha
Higher Education Odisha Department works as the main administrative authority which controls all establishments offering higher education throughout the state. The department designs policies while distributing financial funds and managing curriculum development processes to maintain academic institutions in congruence with nationwide and international standards. The Education Minister of Odisha supervises three primary goals which are set by the education ministry and the education department.
- Overseeing the state's education policies and initiatives.
- Implementing programs aimed at improving educational infrastructure and quality across schools in Odisha.
- Emphasizing tribal education and initiatives to bridge the gap between different communities in terms of educational access and quality.
Recent Educational Initiatives in Odisha 2025
Details are tabulated below:
Standardized Early Education | The policy aligns with national standards, ensuring consistent pre-school education across anganwadis, government, private, and NGO-run pre-schools. |
Education Dynamics in Odisha at a Glance
Details are tabulated below:
Particulars | Highlights |
Overall Literacy Rate (2011 Census) | 73.5% (slightly below the national average of 74.04%) |
Male Literacy Rate | 75.95% |
Female Literacy Rate | 50.97% |
Government Initiatives | Efforts to improve women's literacy, especially in tribal areas, have been initiated. |
Lowest Female Literacy Rates | Nawarangpur (21.02%) and Malkangiri (21.28%) |
Right to Education in Odisha
Odisha has taken big steps to give all kids a basic education. The state aims to make sure every child can go to school, no matter where they come from.
- In 2009, Odisha brought in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RCFCE) Act.
- This law says every student aged 6 to 14 has the right to get free schooling.
- It also sets rules for school buildings how well teachers teach, and how many students each teacher should have. All this helps keep education standards high.
The Act aims to make education easier to access and more inclusive. It gives out free textbooks, uniforms, and study materials to kids from poor families. - For children who need extra help, it also provides things like hearing aids, glasses, Braille books, and crutches.
- To make sure schools are close by, the law says that if there's no school within 1 kilometer of a neighborhood, they must build a new one within three years.
- To make school management better, the Act calls for setting up a School Management Committee (SMC).
- This group brings together people from the area, parents, teachers, and students to work on boosting education quality. When students take part in making choices through the SMC, it helps create a nicer place to learn.
- These steps show how Odisha is trying to give every child a good shot at getting a solid education and creating a brighter future.
School Development Plan & Computer-Aided Learning in Odisha
Particulars | Highlights |
Purpose of School Development Plan | Evaluates enrollment, teacher needs, infrastructure, and teacher training facilities. |
Teacher Qualification Standards | Ensures teachers meet minimum qualifications as per the Act. |
Initiation Year | Introduced in 2002 and integrated into primary and secondary education. |
Key Objectives | Makes learning enjoyable, improves assessments, and ensures equal knowledge access. |
Focus Shift | Initially focused on equal knowledge, now emphasizes equal opportunities for all students. |
Implementation Scope | Applied in 14 states, with states collaborating for effective execution. |
E-Shishu Project in Odisha – Key Highlights
Particulars | Highlights |
Goal | Digital tracking of students to improve enrollment, retention, and academic performance. |
Target Group | Students from primary and upper primary schools in Odisha. |
Implementation | Managed by the School & Mass Education Department, Government of Odisha. |
Key Functions | Tracks student attendance, academic progress, and dropout rates. |
Technology Used | Utilizes unique student IDs and real-time data monitoring. |
Integration | Linked with other digital education initiatives for seamless student management. |
Impact | Helps in policy decisions, resource allocation, and targeted interventions for student welfare. |
Nityananda Gond's Vision for 2025
The major highlights are:
- A specialized group along and with six other sub committees have been developed to monitor the implementation of the NEP's. These committees have the primary responsibility of ensuring the encapsulated and inclusive participatory approach is implemented.
- The traditional 10+2 is being substituted with a 5+3+3+4 model which breaks learning into foundational, preparatory, middle, and secondary stages as prescribed in the NEP.
- The goal of introducing Kindergarten(KG) schools and 'Sishu Vatika' centers is to teach children the basic fundamentals and numbers in a relaxed atmosphere so as to emphasize the Montessori approach.
- Understanding the social significance of an educated populace, work is being done to fill teacher gaps in schools so as to guarantee qualified teachers across all schools.
- The policy aims to enhance the educational experience through their incorporation in the teaching and learning process to ensure students are prepared for the technological world.
- The NEP encourages the use of the mother tongue as a medium of instruction while other languages are added, which is aimed at fostering inclusivity among the learners as well as aiding them in understanding better.
