Finance
The Odisha government will soon produce a complete Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for administering its free undergraduate (+3) and postgraduate (PG) education schemes in state-run higher education institutions, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj announced on Saturday.
The SOP would establish precise instructions for the scheme’s implementation and address concerns voiced by colleges about staff pay, maintenance costs, and other operational issues, according to the minister in a media interview.
According to Suraj, the initiative, which was previously authorized by the state Cabinet, will cover state institutions as well as government colleges. However, the effort would not include self-financing and professional courses, as well as unaided private colleges.
“Some colleges have sought clarity on issues such as payment of staff salaries and maintenance costs. The department will issue end-to-end guidelines through the SOP to ensure the smooth implementation of the scheme,” the minister said.
He said the Higher Education Department and the School and Mass Education (S&ME) Department are jointly working to create a robust framework for the initiative. The government is also consulting stakeholders, including college principals, students and parents, before finalising the guidelines.
The minister stated that the effort represents a significant expansion of the state’s free education program, which was previously provided from kindergarten to Class VIII. Odisha hopes to increase access to higher education for individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds by extending the benefit to undergraduate and postgraduate studies in government institutions.
Suraj stated that the government is aware of concerns over the scheme’s implementation and has pledged that the SOP will address them completely before the program is implemented.
