The Odisha government has approved free textbooks for around 28.7 lakh students under a five-year initiative designed to enhance educational access and ease financial pressures on families. The policy decision was finalized during a Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
The program is scheduled to operate from the 2025-26 through the 2029-30 academic years, backed by an estimated financial outlay of Rs 284.07 crore. Chief Secretary Anu Garg noted that the rollout extends free learning materials to students enrolled in Classes 9 and 10 across government and government-aided secondary institutions, building upon prior provisions that already benefited Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students.
Authorities expect the expanded policy to foster equitable access to learning, lower dropout rates, and bolster enrollment figures in public schools while supporting students through the critical transition from elementary to secondary education.
This major policy announcement arrives against the backdrop of a growing political controversy concerning mistakes discovered within educational materials issued by the state's School and Mass Education Department. Reports indicate that over 1,600 errors, ranging from spelling mistakes to inaccurate biographical details of notable figures, have been uncovered across 55 distinct textbooks. These discrepancies have prompted opposition political factions to call for the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond.
To manage logistics, the state government stated that the procurement, printing, logistics, and delivery of the books will follow transparent and competitive guidelines pursuant to the Odisha General Financial Rules. Furthermore, the department plans to implement a validation mechanism utilizing field inspections to verify beneficiary data and ensure that learning materials are successfully delivered to schools ahead of each new academic term.