Odisha books 15 per cent seats in medical, engineering colleges for government school students

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution for reservation of 15 per cent seats for students of government schools in medical and engineering colleges of the State.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik brought the resolution in the House which was supported by all political parties.

Earlier on December 28, 2020, the State Cabinet had cleared a proposal for reservation of seats for poor students in government schools in various medical and engineering colleges. 

Following the Cabinet approval, the State government had formed a high power committee headed by Justice AK Mishra to make recommendations in this regard from the 2021-22 academic session.

The committee found that about 86 per cent of the students in Odisha are in government schools, but they get only 23 per cent seats in State medical colleges and 21 per cent in State engineering colleges.

The committee further found that 12 per cent of the students studying in private schools get almost 60 per cent seats in both medical and engineering colleges.

Moving the resolution, the Chief Minister said that there is inequity among the students arising out of the physical and economic access to coaching institutions which play a major role in national entrance examinations.

The Chief Minister said that the reservation for government school students will operate horizontally covering all vertical reservations as well as general unreserved groups.

The government will soon issue a notification under section 9 of the Odisha Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act, 2007 to implement the decision, he added.

Requesting members to unanimously accept the recommendations of the high power committee in the interest of lakhs of children of the State, the Chief Minister said reservation will give a huge boost to talented and intelligent students who cannot have physical and economic access to coaching institutions.

The Chief Minister said after the introduction of common entrance examinations like NEET and JEE, the number of students from government schools and colleges of the State in these courses is getting reduced considerably.

Stating that this is not due to lack of merit, he said rather the students are unable to fare better in these tests due to lack of proper coaching facilities.