Odisha government to paint school buildings with orange shade; BJD cries saffronisation

NEW DELHI: The BJP government in Odisha has decided to paint all government school buildings with a shade of orange, prompting the opposition BJD to allege that it is part of the ruling party's attempt at saffronisation of education. The BJP, on the other hand, asserted that the Biju Janata Dal, during its 24-year rule till June 2024, had painted school buildings green and student uniforms were green and white, similar to the party's colour code.

The Odisha State Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) has recently issued an instruction to all district collectors about painting school buildings with 'Orange Tan-N' colour. “The government has been pleased to approve the new colour code. In this context, it is requested to issue suitable instructions to concerned field functionaries for adoption of the approved colour code in all government schools, including PM SHRI schools, during construction, repair and renovation works,” OSEPA state project director Ananya Das wrote to all collectors, who are the chairpersons of Samagra Shiksha in districts. This order would be in supersession of all previous instructions related to the colour code of school buildings, she said.

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‘Can colours change education?’ asks BJD leader

Responding to the development, senior BJD leader Prasanna Acharya said it is "sheer politics and condemnable". “It is a peculiar psychology. I don’t understand why this government is making such bogus decisions. What is the purpose? Can you change the education system by changing the colours? Can you infuse more energy among the children by changing the colour?" he asked. Alleging that the BJP is trying to infuse politics in the minds of schoolboys and girls, Acharya claimed that nothing positive would be achieved by such a decision which involved crores of rupees of from the state exchequer.

In his reaction, School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond said the previous BJD government had changed the colour of the schools and painted them with their party colour code. “We are not changing the colour of the school buildings. It was the BJD government which had changed the colours of school uniforms to buildings. The decision will create a good environment and the schools will look attractive," Gond said. In October last year, the BJP government changed the colour of the school uniforms of students studying in classes 9 and 10 of government and aided schools. The new uniforms have a combination of light brown, chocolate and clay-baked yellow colours.