A troubling shadow has fallen over Odisha’s education system as thousands of students missed this year's matriculation exams. Out of 546,876 students who filled out forms, 9,930 candidates (1.81%) remained absent, sparking a heated debate in the State Assembly.
Responding to MLA Upasana Mohanty, School and Mass Education Minister Nityanand Gand revealed a staggering deficiency: 19,883 schools across the state lack basic desks and benches.
In these institutions, children are forced to sit on cold floors to study, a stark reality that undermines the state's "quality education" narrative.
While the Minister assured the House that steps are being taken to provide furniture, the revelation has drawn sharp criticism. Experts and parents alike are questioning how modern learning can flourish when basic infrastructure is non-existent.
The mass absence from board exams combined with the lack of elementary facilities paints a grim picture of the hurdles facing rural students. Decades after independence, the sight of children huddled on the floor remains a stinging indictment of the gap between policy and practice.