THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR,
SEPTEMBER 5, 2026
Ensuring
access to higher education for all and empowering students with skills for the
future is the Odisha government’s goal, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi
Suraj said on Saturday, as the state launched a series of AI and skill
development initiatives expected to benefit more than one lakh students.
Speaking
at a programme at the Tennis Centre Auditorium of Kalinga Stadium here, Suraj
said the government was working to develop the skills of students and faculty
members, promote quality research in higher education institutions and
strengthen the startup ecosystem.
The
Higher Education Department on Saturday signed three Memoranda of Understanding
(MoUs) with IBM-CSRBOX, Nandi Foundation and Odisha Knowledge Corporation
Limited (OKCL) to strengthen skill development, digital learning and
employability among students. The department also launched the ‘AI Course for
All’ programme in collaboration with NASSCOM, besides an Academic Performance
Assessment Portal and a Question Bank Portal.
Under
the MoU with IBM-CSRBOX, more than 1.25 lakh students across Odisha will
benefit from a skill development programme covering students from Arts, Science
and Commerce streams. Training will be imparted through online courses,
workshops and project-based learning in areas including Artificial
Intelligence, digital literacy, enterprise design thinking and project
management.
Special
emphasis will be laid on students of 107 higher education institutions located
in remote and aspirational districts of the state. The initiative will also
focus on enhancing AI-related skills among faculty members.
The
MoU with Nandi Foundation will provide offline training to final-year girl
students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The training will
focus on financial literacy, critical thinking, public speaking and
communication skills to improve their preparedness for employment opportunities.
Under
the MoU with OKCL, students will receive 30 hours of communication skills
training and 10 hours of AI-based courses through digital mode, while teachers
will undergo a five-hour AI orientation programme.
As
part of efforts to strengthen the startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem in
higher education institutions, the department will also organise a Faculty
Mentor Development Programme in collaboration with the Entrepreneurship
Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad. Forty faculty members from
Odisha will undergo six days of training at EDII, covering entrepreneurship,
entrepreneurship mentoring and enterprise development tools.
The
‘AI Course for All’ programme, launched in collaboration with NASSCOM, will
provide students and working faculty members of higher education institutions
an opportunity to develop skills in artificial intelligence through online
courses. The programme is expected to benefit more than one lakh students
across the state.
The
Academic Performance Assessment Portal, launched by the Odisha State Higher
Education Council in collaboration with the Higher Education Department, will
enable assessment of the academic performance of higher education institutions
across Odisha based on 52 key performance indicators (KPIs).
The
Question Bank Portal was also launched to improve the quality of question
papers for college and university examinations. Through a two-tier mechanism,
the portal will facilitate the preparation of question papers in accordance
with the standards of the National Credit Framework and support effective
assessment of students’ learning outcomes and competencies.
Suraj
said the MoUs with various institutions would help enhance the skills of
students in AI and other emerging technologies, while exposure and training
programmes for faculty members would contribute to strengthening the startup
ecosystem in higher education institutions.
He emphasised that the government’s initiatives were aimed at creating greater opportunities for students while ensuring that higher education remained accessible and inclusive across the state.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Higher Education Department, Aravind Agrawal, Director of Higher Education Kali Prasanna Mahapatra, Executive Member of the Odisha State Higher Education Council Professor Atanu Kumar Pati, Additional Secretary to Government Dharanidhar Nanda, Prativa Sahu, Mousumi Nayak and other senior officials were present at the programme.
