Odisha Reviews NEP 2020 Progress at Second State Task Force Meeting

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government held the second meeting of the State Task Force on the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 at Lok Seva Bhawan, bringing together key departments and institutions to assess coordinated progress and chart the way forward. The meeting was chaired by Smt. Anu Garg, Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary, and focused on accelerating systemic reforms through interdepartmental collaboration and data-driven strategies.

Senior officials, including Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary, ST & SC Development, Minority & Backward Classes Welfare; Shalini Pandit, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, School and Mass Education; Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Skill Development & Technical Education; and representatives from the Higher Education Department, Women and Child Development, Planning & Convergence, SCERT, OSEPA, and partner agencies, participated in the session.

In her opening remarks, Smt. Garg emphasized the importance of adopting outcome-based approaches, establishing a robust IT-enabled monitoring system to track student progress, and promoting Multilingual Education (MLE), particularly to support tribal learners.

Key developments highlighted during the meeting included successful teacher training initiatives for pre-primary educators (Shishu Vatikas) in collaboration with NCERT and RIE Bhubaneswar. These efforts were complemented by the distribution of newly developed workbooks and teacher handbooks across the state.

To strengthen curriculum development and training from pre-primary through Class XII, the Directorate of Teacher Education and SCERT are being upgraded to take on expanded roles. This initiative aligns with NCERT guidelines and supports the overall shift towards competency-based education as envisioned under NEP 2020.

A special house-to-house survey campaign, launched in May 2025, was also reviewed. The survey aims to identify school dropouts, children with special needs (CwSN), and determine MLE requirements. Officials noted that this grassroots-level campaign will help reintegrate out-of-school children and reduce dropout rates through targeted interventions.

A major reform discussed was the rollout of the Holistic Progress Card (HPC) for students in Classes I to VIII starting in the 2024–25 academic session. The HPC emphasizes continuous and comprehensive evaluation of life skills, creativity, and critical thinking, rather than traditional marks-based assessments.

Odisha’s strides in foundational education were also acknowledged. Over 45,000 Shishu Vatika classrooms have been established, and tools such as the “Sikhayan Sopan” Assessment Register, e-Jaadui Pitara learning app, and a suite of teaching-learning materials have been deployed to support interactive learning.

Additionally, the state continues to promote flagship models like the PM SHRI schools and Godabarisha Mishra Adarsha Prathamik Vidyalayas, which are being developed as centres of excellence.