Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, announced a historic education initiative approved by the State Cabinet during its 43rd meeting today. Out of 12 major decisions taken for state development, the cabinet has greenlit a landmark scheme titled “Gyanodaya – Shiksharu Samriddhi,” aimed at providing free education to students across Odisha from Kindergarten (KG) to Post-Graduate (PG) levels.
Through this vision, which the Chief Minister had previously declared, the government ensures that no student in the state will be deprived of education or forced to drop out due to financial constraints. The initiative marks a significant step toward making quality education more accessible, equitable, and affordable for everyone.
Under this scheme, eligible students enrolled in regular courses across government and government-aided institutions managed by the School and Mass Education Department and the Higher Education Department will receive a complete waiver on admission and tuition fees. The initiative will come into effect starting from the current academic year 2026-27. It will cover students from classes 9 to 12 in government and aided schools, as well as students pursuing regular undergraduate and postgraduate courses in state public universities, government colleges, and government-aided colleges. Given that education from Kindergarten to Class 8 is already free in Odisha, this move successfully bridges the gap to realize the state government’s dream of comprehensive free education from KG to PG.
The program is designed to reduce the economic burden on families, particularly those from economically weaker and marginalized sections of society. By mitigating financial hurdles, the state expects to see an increase in enrollment rates, an improvement in school and college attendance, and a significant drop in student dropout rates, enabling more youth to pursue higher education seamlessly.
However, the benefits of this scheme will apply strictly to students in regular courses at eligible government and government-aided institutions. Self-financing courses, private unaided institutions, public-private partnership (PPP) mode institutions or courses, and professional and technical programs are excluded from the scope of this scheme.
To back this massive educational reform, the Odisha Cabinet has approved an estimated budget of 895.57 crore rupees for the first financial year and a total of 5,467.55 crore rupees over a five-year period. This represents one of the largest financial investments made by the state government in the education sector. It is projected to benefit more than 32 lakh students every year, greatly alleviating the financial strain on their families.
This initiative aligns with the core objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, as well as the Odisha Vision 2036 and Odisha Vision 2047 frameworks.
Chief Minister Shri Majhi emphasized that “Gyanodaya – Shiksharu Samriddhi” is far more than just a fee-waiver program. It stands as a crucial step toward ensuring equal learning opportunities for every child and youth in Odisha, regardless of their financial background. By empowering families through education, the initiative reflects the state government’s firm commitment to building a “Viksit Odisha” (Developed Odisha) rooted in knowledge, opportunity, and holistic growth.