Odisha Channel Bureau
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Monday decided to make a provision for reservation in engineering and medical colleges for students passing out from State-run schools.
The State Cabinet on Monday approved the formation of a high-powered committee under the chairmanship of a retired Orissa High Court judge to formulate within three months the modalities for implementing the reservation.
“The quota in engineering and medical colleges for students passing out from state-run schools will be introduced from the next academic year,” School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash said.
The objective of having such a reservation is to boost the morale of the students in the rural areas who are deprived of coaching and digital courses that are easily available in urban areas, which is why the students of rural schools are failing to compete with their urban counterparts, the Minister added.
Students passing matriculation examinations from government-run schools will be eligible to avail the quota irrespective of their economic background, Dash said.
The State Cabinet decision comes after it was observed that students studying in government schools were not performing better in the national level extrance examination for admission in engineering and medical colleges due to lack of coaching facilities in rural areas.
The quota for government school students for admission in engineering and medical colleges will be implemented from the next academic session, the Cabinet decided.
