Odisha Announces Free Education from KG to PG, Over 10 Lakh Students Set to Benefit

In a landmark move aimed at making education accessible to all, the Odisha government has announced that students enrolling in government schools, colleges, and universities will no longer be required to pay academic fees.

The decision effectively makes education free from kindergarten to postgraduate studies, marking a significant shift in the state’s education policy.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced the decision on Friday as the BJP-led government completed two years in office.

Describing the initiative as a transformative step, he said the state is committed to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to pursue education without financial barriers.

Majhi noted that Odisha may be among the first states in India to introduce such a comprehensive provision in the education sector.

According to him, the policy will particularly benefit students from economically disadvantaged families who often struggle to continue their studies due to financial limitations.

Government officials estimate that the new initiative will directly benefit more than 10 lakh students across the state, making higher education more affordable and inclusive for a large section of the population.

While education up to Class 10 was already being provided free of cost in Odisha, the latest decision extends that support to higher secondary, undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

The move is expected to ease the financial burden on thousands of families and encourage more students to continue their academic journeys.

Although tuition and other academic charges in government colleges and universities are comparatively modest, the state government has decided to absorb these costs.

Officials estimate that implementing the scheme will require an annual expenditure of nearly ₹30 crore from the state treasury.

In another major announcement, the chief minister said the government plans to recruit more than 45,000 teachers in the coming years to strengthen the quality of education.

This will add to the more than 26,000 teaching positions that have already been filled since the BJP government assumed office.

To accommodate the growing demand for higher education, Majhi also revealed plans to establish four new universities in Odisha.

He stated that financial allocations for these institutions have already been included in the state budget, paving the way for their development in the near future.

Reviewing the achievements of his administration over the past two years, the chief minister highlighted infrastructure development as a key engine of economic progress and employment creation.

He pointed to several large-scale projects currently in the pipeline, including a coastal highway, two major expressways linking southern and northern parts of the state, and the ambitious Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Region (BCPPER).

Addressing criticism from opposition parties regarding the state’s law-and-order situation, Majhi dismissed many of the allegations as politically motivated.

He maintained that authorities have taken action in every criminal case and that no offender has been allowed to escape accountability.

Speaking on crimes against women, the chief minister asserted that the conviction rate in such cases has improved considerably under the present administration.

He credited stronger enforcement measures and a more proactive approach to law enforcement for the improvement.

Majhi also launched a sharp attack on the previous government led by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), accusing it of protecting officials involved in corrupt practices.

He cited several vigilance investigations conducted over the past two years against senior bureaucrats and public servants, claiming these actions reflected his government’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

With free education from KG to PG, large-scale teacher recruitment plans and new higher education institutions on the horizon, the Odisha government has positioned education as one of the central pillars of its development agenda.

The initiative is expected to have a lasting impact on students across the state, particularly those from financially weaker backgrounds who aspire to pursue higher studies.