Alarm bells rang in Odisha’s legislative halls as Congress MLA Sophia Firdous confronted the crumbling education infrastructure. Assembly data she cited exposed 1,898 schools juggling several classes in one space, a shocking indictment of systemic neglect that robs young minds of proper learning.
‘Picture first-graders elbow-to-elbow with fifth-graders in a single room—pure bedlam,’ Firdous told media, likening it to market frenzy. This setup, she argued, undermines teachers’ efficacy and students’ comprehension, dooming primary education—the crucial launchpad for self-reliant futures.
Her call to action was firm: disburse emergency funds now for new classrooms, addressing a malaise festering for years without remedy in recent times. Echoing the Supreme Court’s stance on handouts, she proposed revamping initiatives like Subhadra—swap incremental aid for substantial one-off sums paired with empowerment programs.
Venturing into tech frontiers, Firdous hailed Rajiv Gandhi’s IT legacy while urging prudence with AI. ‘It’s a double-edged sword needing policy precision, regulatory teeth, and tangible outcomes—not just talk at conferences,’ she warned, advocating for comprehensive frameworks to guide its evolution.