Congress voice Sophia Firdous shook up the Odisha assembly with hard-hitting queries on education, welfare, and AI. At the heart: 1,898 schools where one room hosts multiple classes, a revelation she called educationally catastrophic and a direct assault on kids’ rights.
Detailing the fallout, Firdous evoked images of overcrowded ‘fish markets’ stifling lessons for mixed-age groups like Classes 1 through 5. Primary years are pivotal, she stressed; botched foundations spell trouble for generations aiming for autonomy.
No more delays—she insisted on instant emergency funding for infrastructure upgrades, pinpointing prolonged inaction over 20 months. On freebies, she nodded to judicial wisdom, suggesting Subhadra Yojana evolve: bulk ₹50,000 transfers with mentorship over piecemeal ₹5,000 drips to spark real female empowerment.
AI discourse drew from history: Rajiv Gandhi’s tech groundwork endures. But Firdous advocated balance—pros and cons demand directed policies, strict oversight, and implementation that sticks, far beyond event-driven hype.