NRO bats for edu balance

Tathya.in, Aug 27, 2010
Bhawanipatna:27/August/2010


Non Resident Odias laud the step taken by the Higher Education Department; Government of Orissa to establish the Orissa State Open University.

However, it is surprising to note that the headquarters of the Orissa State Open University has been proposed in Bhubaneswar in the preliminary draft bill without any public discussion, rue they.

This is totally injustice and irrational, feel leading NRO Digambara Patra.
In any modern democratic society now a days the state or national level institutions are distributed regionally all over the region, said Dr.Patra.

Some of the African nations have three capitals.

With the modern technology and communication, distance hardly plays any role for Open University education.

On the other hand, according to economist establishment of any such institution do play an important role to indirectly boost the local economy.

Unfortunately most of the time Orissa’s capital region has taken all these benefits keeping the backward regions in the dark, lamented he.

Earlier state level universities such as OUAT, Utkal University of Culture, Sri Jagganath Sankrit University, National Law University, etc were already established in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri regions.

These institutions have directly boosted the local economy.

In this context the proposed Open University should come in a backward place which is far away from the state capital and logically deserves to balance the existing regional imbalances.

Kalahandi/Nuapada regions are not only backward and far away compared to many other locations in coastal and eastern Orissa, but also is the central district among the backward KBK, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Bargarh and Boudh districts.

Bhubaneswar is the central location in the eastern bordering Orissa from Jaleswar to Parliakhemundi, similarly Kalahandi region is the central location in the western bordering Orissa from Baljod in Sundergarh to Motu in Malkangiri.

The headquarters of the Orissa State Open University should rather come in Kalahandi/Nuapada region as it will boost the local economy of this backward place and will not harm in growth of the institution, said he.

In addition it may help to dissipate growing regionalism in the state and balance the existing regional imbalances.

Therefore, we strongly suggest and request the preliminary bill should be modified and the headquarters of the proposed Orissa State Open University should be located in Kalahandi/Nuapada region, Dr.Patra urged.