Bhubaneswar, Aug. 5: The state government is planning to set up English-medium model public schools in the tribal-dominated districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Rayagada.

The initiative is aimed at providing better opportunities to students from these remote hilly areas, who otherwise are mostly educated in ashram schools located far away from the urban buzz.

“The collectors of the three districts concerned have been asked to identify 10 acres for setting up the model public schools,” said ST/SC development secretary Santosh Sarangi, adding that the collectors had been asked to report on the land availability near their respective district headquarters by August 6.

The proposed schools will be residential and will have an intake capacity of 700 students each fromClasses VI to XII. Each class would be divided into two sections with 100 students in each section.

“The 10 acres will be utilised for creating a conducive learning environment and for extra-curricular activities,” Sarangi said.

The schools expected to come up at Baripada in Mayurbhanj, and in the district headquarters of Keonjhar and Rayagada would be set up in public-private-partnership mode.

“This will be a good opportunity for the vulnerable and disadvantaged community to compete with the developed world. Tribal students educated in these schools would be able to overcome their fears or inferiority complex, if any, and prepare themselves better to face the world like their counterparts in cities,” said educationist Bandana Mohapatra.