The Government needs to open schools in the State, taking all Covid preventive measures as the education of the students, especially of the socially and economically disadvantaged population has been hit. The Government also need to increase budget for school education.

This was stated by experts in a seminar held here recently on the theme, "The state of school education in Odisha at the time of Covid."  The Odisha Right to Education Forum, Save the Children Odisha and the Odisha Child Protection Commission jointly organised it  on Thursday.

The focus was on a study conducted in 15 districts of the State under the guidance of the Odisha Right to Education Forum and the Odisha Child Protection Commission and with support from Save the Children Odisha.Speaking on the occasion, Odisha Right to Education Forum convenor Anil Pradhan welcomed the dignitaries and participants and said that the Odisha Right to Education Forum, had already submitted a memorandum to the Government to protect the health and education of the children in the State and continue it in a cohesive manner without any disruption.

Based on the memorandum and the findings of the study, the Government should make sure that schools are reopened as soon as possible so that children can get back to school and continue their education, he told. Educationist and principal researcher Smruti Ranjan Jena highlighted how education of the children took a beating.

"In a financially disadvantaged State like Odisha, where people are unable to support their families for food during Covid, we need to think about how far it is possible to teach school children through smart phones with internet," he stated.

OSCPCR Chairperson Sandhyabati Pradhan  said that Government should pay special attention to safety, health and education of children.