Key Highlights:

  • Clear message to students: Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi urged students at the state-level Teachers' Day event in Kataka to avoid social media distractions and misinformation, and stay focused on their studies.
  • Teacher-student bond emphasised: The CM called for a friendlier relationship between teachers and students, describing education as a process of character-building rather than just knowledge transfer.
  • Tribute to guru-shishya tradition: Majhi paid homage to Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on his birth anniversary, tracing India's teacher-student legacy from Lord Rama and Krishna to APJ Abdul Kalam.
  • Major education reforms highlighted: Odisha has become the first state in India to offer free education from Shishu Vatika to postgraduate level under the 'KG to PG' scheme, alongside 2,200 new model primary schools worth Rs 12,000 crore.
  • Fresh commitments announced: The government reiterated plans to fill 45,000 teacher posts over three years, alongside continued mid-day meals, free textbooks, and the Shaheed Madho Singh Haath Kharcha Yojana for tribal students.

 Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday urged students to focus fully on their studies, without wasting valuable time on social media or falling prey to misinformation.

The Chief Minister was speaking at the state-level Teachers' Day celebrations held at the Secondary Board High School in Kataka. During his interactions with students, Majhi advised them to remain focused on building their careers and avoid anything that could hamper their future prospects.

"As students, your foremost duty is to study diligently, acquire skills, and contribute to both personal and national development. This is the core purpose of our education system. Therefore, stay away from anything that has the potential to create obstacles in building your career," he said.

Highlighting the relationship between teachers and students, the Chief Minister said it needed to become more friendly in the present times, and advised students to reach the pinnacle of success with the blessings of their parents and teachers. "Education is not merely about imparting knowledge; it is a great process of building human character, and teachers have been shouldering this great responsibility," he said.

Explaining the significance of the bond between teachers and students, Majhi paid tribute to former President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on his birth anniversary, saying the guru-shishya tradition was unparalleled in Indian culture. From Lord Rama and Lord Krishna to Chandragupta Maurya and Swami Vivekananda, he said, the role of teachers had been decisive in shaping the lives of these great personalities. "Even in today's era, a great personality like 'Missile Man' Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, despite holding the nation's highest office, considered it an immense matter of pride to identify himself first as a teacher," Majhi said.

What the 'KG to PG' scheme actually involves: The Chief Minister's reference to Odisha's free education reforms points to the 'Gyanodaya–Shiksharu Samruddhi' scheme, which the state Cabinet approved on July 1, 2026, and which took effect from the 2026-27 academic session. Under it, students at government and government-aided schools, colleges and state public universities receive a full waiver of admission fees, covering Classes 9-12, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Since education up to Class 8 was already free in the state, this effectively makes the entire education pipeline free from kindergarten through postgraduate study — though students in self-financing, unaided, PPP-mode institutions or professional and technical courses are not covered. The government estimates around 32 lakh students will benefit, with the scheme costing Rs 895.57 crore in its first year and a projected Rs 5,467.55 crore over five years. Odisha's government has described this as the first such comprehensive scheme of its kind nationally — for comparison, Telangana offers free KG-to-PG education only to economically weaker sections, while Kerala's free education runs from KG to graduation level and is limited to Arts and Science students, making Odisha's version broader in scope than either.

Highlighting reforms further, Majhi said 2,200 world-class 'Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Primary Schools' are being constructed at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore — one planned for every panchayat in the state, with foundation stones already laid for over 300 of them in the initial rollout — while 45,000 Shishu Vatika centres have also been opened for pre-school children.

Majhi reiterated the government's commitment to providing mid-day meals to students of Classes IX and X, supplying textbooks, implementing the 'Shaheed Madho Singh Haath Kharcha Yojana' for tribal students, and filling 45,000 teacher posts over the next three years — building on the roughly 26,000 teachers the state says it has already recruited over the past two years.

The Chief Minister called for building a strong, prosperous and self-reliant Odisha through the collective efforts of teachers, students, alumni and the public, drawing on their knowledge, talent, experience and cooperation. On the occasion, he felicitated and honoured several distinguished teachers for their dedicated service in teaching and shaping the future of students.