"It is a stark reality that quality, particularly in higher education, is not up to the international standard and the Central government is taking a slew of measures to improve the situation," Raju told reporters here.
Maintaining that the focus was to improve teaching-learning quality and research, he said funds would be made available through RUSA to universities and colleges to strengthen higher educational institutes and make them the centres of academic excellence.
The statement came a day after Raju, while addressing the convocation at Central University of Orissa at Koraput, said it was unfortunate that no Indian university was among the top 200 varsities in the world and sought innovative reforms in higher education to improve quality.
In a bid to improve the quality of teaching, it is planned to start teacher training schools in all Central universities, he said, adding that concrete steps would be taken to consolidate the new IITs and other institutes.
173 blocks in the state were identified as educationally backward, he said, adding that altogether 9,483 primary schools have been sanctioned under Sarva Sikshya Abhiyan (SSA) in Odisha out of which 8,946 have been opened.
Out of Odisha's total 89,383 habitations, 85,858 have been covered by primary schooling facility within one km. At upper primary level, 87,299 habitations are covered within 3 kms, he also said.