By Our Correspondent
BERHAMPUR/BHUBANESWAR:Keeping in view the future of lakhs of students of the state and their educational interests, Berhampur MP Dr. Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi has written a detailed letter (Ref No: MP/BAM/EDU/2026/105) to the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi seeking urgent intervention. He expressed deep concern over the severe shortage of B.Ed and M.Ed seats in Odisha, which is causing thousands of Odia students to face financial and mental exploitation in other states every year.
MP Dr. Panigrahi, citing a recent media report, said that this year, more than 1,30,000 aspiring students have applied for B.Ed admission in the state, but the Odisha government has only 3,900 seats available. This means that the number of seats is about 40 times less than the number of applicants.
Since 1995, due to restrictions on private B.Ed institutions in the state, more than 50,000 students are forced to go to foreign states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Haryana every year. Taking advantage of this, middlemen and institutions in foreign states are exploiting the students by charging up to Rs 2 lakh as course fees, uniforms and examination fees. Due to this, crores of rupees of revenue are flowing out of Odisha. Even hundreds of students from West and South Odisha are losing their future by being cheated by fake agents who are issuing fake certificates.
*Key proposals presented by MPs to the Chief Minister:*
1. *Direct and Distance Mode of Courses:* All major state universities of Odisha (such as Utkal, Ravenshaw, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Fakir Mohan University) should start B.Ed and M.Ed degrees both through *Direct/Regular* and *Distance Learning/ODL* immediately. This will enable regular students and working teachers to study within the state.
2. *Increase the number of seats in government colleges:* The number of seats in the currently functioning government teacher education colleges should be increased by two to three times by making good use of the infrastructure and through a multi-shift system.
3. *Self-financing wings in autonomous colleges:* B.Ed wings should be opened in all the leading government and autonomous degree colleges in all the 30 districts of the state on a self-reliant or self-financing model.
4. *Implementation of a clear private policy:* As per NCTE regulations, a clear and strict policy should be introduced in the state to allow high-quality private institutions to open B.Ed courses under government universities.
5. *Action against fake agents:* A special cell should be formed under the Higher Education Department to monitor all fake consultancies and agents operating in Odisha in the name of foreign states.
This reform is essential for the protection of the interests of Odisha students and the successful implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP 2020). MP Dr. Panigrahi has requested the Chief Minister to convene a high-level meeting of the Higher Education Department and the School and Mass Education Department on this sensitive issue. Copies of this letter have been sent to the Hon’ble Ministers of both the departments, Principal Secretaries and the Vice Chancellors of all the universities in the state for necessary action.
