Why Are Odisha's Government Schools Struggling with Land Ownership Issues?
Ongoing Land Ownership Challenges for Schools in Odisha
Kataka Sadar: The Odisha state government has yet to compile a comprehensive list of government schools lacking their own land, even after 18 months since the School and Mass Education department requested this information from district education officers (DEOs).
Numerous government schools in Odisha are currently situated on land categorized as ‘gochar’ (grazing land), ‘debottar’ (endowment land), and riverbeds.
Consequently, revenue authorities have been unable to issue permanent land records for these schools, despite requests from their managing committees for land regularization. An applicant, utilizing the Right to Information (RTI) Act, sought to uncover how many government schools in the state do not possess their own land.
Following this, Sudam Behera, Under Secretary of the School and Mass Education Department, sent a directive (letter No. 4453/53/12/2/2025) to all DEOs to gather the necessary information.
However, after 18 months, this information remains uncompiled. The DEO office in Kataka has also failed to provide details regarding schools without land ownership. According to existing regulations, local residents must donate land for a new high school—two acres in rural areas and one acre in urban settings—before the school can receive government recognition.
In the Kataka Sadar block, schools like Dharina High School, Praharajpur High School, Garasuni Vidya Mandir, and Nahakani High School are located on land classified as grazing, irrigation, and endowment land. Applications have been submitted to change the classification of this land and to issue land records in the names of the respective schools.
Despite this, the Kishannagar tehsildar has yet to provide the necessary land records. When approached for comments, Kataka DEO Nityananda Barik refrained from giving a specific answer, suggesting reporters to 'write whatever you want.' Meanwhile, a senior education official, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that some cases involved forged land deeds submitted to gain government approval for schools.
This official alleged that past MLAs, politicians, and MPs had pressured the government to approve these schools, leaving little room for correcting the irregularities now.