Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Friday that the state will provide free education across all government schools and colleges, spanning from kindergarten up to the postgraduate level.
Speaking at a press conference to mark the second anniversary of the BJP government in the state, Majhi emphasised that the policy is designed to benefit every student in Odisha, with a special focus on young girls and families from economically backward classes.
“To ensure that education becomes truly free and universal, our government is declaring that learning from KG to PG will be entirely free of charge,” the Chief Minister stated.
“This will benefit all the students of the state, especially the economically backward classes and girls. Perhaps, such a step in the field of education will be implemented for the first time in the entire country in Odisha,” the chief minister said.
Majhi remarked that this landmark decision would strengthen the core foundations of the state’s youth, paving the way for sustainable, long-term progress.
Taking a swipe at the former BJD administration, he said that rather than making substantive changes, the previous government merely focused on cosmetic upgrades like “painting school walls.”
“Knowledge translates to power. At this stage in our development, basic literacy is no longer the main hurdle; the real challenge lies in delivering high-quality education. It surprises me how such a fundamental concept eluded a government that was in power for 24 years,” Majhi observed.
The Chief Minister highlighted that his government has already rolled out two “historic milestones” for education – adopting the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and establishing Godavarish Mishra Adarsh Primary Schools across every village panchayat.
He noted that of the planned 2,200 schools mapped out for the initial phase of the project, foundation stones have successfully been laid for 322 institutions.
The scheme aims to upgrade schools in all gram panchayats of Odisha.
“Furthermore, we have recruited 26,615 teaching and non-teaching personnel over the past two years. We will plan to onboard an additional 45,000 teachers over the coming three years,” Majhi said.
He also said that four new universities are slated for development, while 18 new government colleges have already opened their doors in rural communities.
“In the coming days, Odisha will be made the higher education capital of eastern India,” Majhi asserted.
