In a scathing critique during the Odisha assembly session, Congress MLA Sophia Firdous has spotlighted the dire state of the state’s education system. She revealed shocking figures showing 1,898 schools where multiple classes are crammed into single classrooms, denying children their fundamental right to quality education.
Speaking exclusively to reporters, Firdous described the scenario as a blatant failure of the system. ‘It’s like a fish market in those rooms,’ she said, painting a vivid picture of chaos where teachers struggle to teach and students can’t focus. Primary schools, she emphasized, lay the foundation for future generations, and such neglect threatens to produce an entire cohort ill-equipped for self-reliance.
The MLA demanded immediate action, urging the government to release emergency funds this fiscal year for building extra classrooms. This isn’t a sudden crisis but the result of years of oversight, with no substantial progress in the last 20 months.
Turning to welfare schemes, Firdous welcomed the Supreme Court’s caution against ‘freebies,’ advocating for lump-sum aid over installments—like turning Odisha’s Subhadra scheme’s small payouts into a one-time ₹50,000 grant with proper guidance to foster true empowerment among women.
On artificial intelligence, she credited former PM Rajiv Gandhi for India’s IT revolution and stressed the need for regulated AI implementation. ‘Conferences won’t suffice; ground-level execution and misuse prevention are key,’ she asserted, calling for robust policies to harness AI’s potential while mitigating risks.