Odisha to give free textbooks to 28.7 lakh Class 9 and 10 students for five years
Representative image: moritz320 / Pixabay
Odisha's cabinet approved free textbooks for about 28.7 lakh Class 9 and 10 students in government and aided schools for 2025-30, costing Rs 284.07 crore.
What Happened
The Odisha cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, has approved a five-year scheme to give free textbooks to about 28.7 lakh students of Classes 9 and 10 in government and government-aided secondary schools, at an estimated cost of Rs 284.07 crore. The decision, announced by Chief Secretary Anu Garg after the cabinet meeting and reported on 13 and 14 October 2026, covers the period from 2025-26 to 2029-30 under the state's Supply of Free Textbooks scheme. Students from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are not part of the new scheme because they already receive textbooks free of cost.
Key Facts
- The scheme covers about 28.7 lakh students in Classes 9 and 10.
- It applies to government and government-aided secondary schools in Odisha.
- The total estimated outlay is Rs 284.07 crore over five years, from 2025-26 to 2029-30, or about Rs 57 crore a year on average.
- SC and ST students are excluded because they already get free textbooks.
- The School and Mass Education department will collect and verify student data through field-level checks.
- The government says books will be printed and delivered to schools before each academic session.
- At the same meeting the cabinet also approved a Rs 500 crore urban drainage scheme, according to reports.
Why It Matters
Textbooks are a recurring cost for families, and in Classes 9 and 10 the number of subjects and books rises. For poorer households, buying a full set every year can be enough to push a child out of school after Class 8. The state government says the new scheme is meant to ease that burden, raise enrolment in government schools, cut dropout rates and help students make the move from elementary to secondary education.
Board exam years also matter more for a student's future. Class 10 results decide stream choices and, often, whether a student continues studying at all. Having the right books from the first day of the session, rather than weeks later, is a practical help for teachers trying to finish the syllabus on time.
The decision comes at a sensitive moment for the School and Mass Education department. The state has faced a long row over errors in school textbooks. The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has claimed that more than 1,600 mistakes, including spelling errors and wrong names of well-known personalities, were found in 55 textbooks for Classes 1 to 8 supplied by the government. The chief minister ordered a three-member panel to identify those responsible, and the BJD has demanded the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond and a CBI inquiry. The minister has disputed some of the reports, calling them exaggerated. The new scheme's promise of timely, verified delivery will be judged against that background.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Students covered | About 28.7 lakh, Classes 9 and 10 |
| Schools | Government and government-aided secondary schools |
| Period | 2025-26 to 2029-30 |
| Total cost | Rs 284.07 crore |
| Excluded | SC and ST students, who already get free books |
Impact
Short-term: Families of eligible Class 9 and 10 students will no longer have to buy textbooks once the scheme is in place. Schools will have to help the department collect and verify student data so that the right number of books is printed.
Long-term: If delivery is on time and the books are free of errors, the scheme could help more students finish Class 10 in government schools. The quality of the books will remain under close watch after the recent error controversy.
Who is affected: About 28.7 lakh secondary school students and their parents, teachers in government and aided schools, and the School and Mass Education department, which must print and distribute the books.
Key Takeaway
Odisha will give free textbooks to about 28.7 lakh Class 9 and 10 students for five years at a cost of Rs 284.07 crore, as it tries to keep more children in secondary school.
Questions and Answers
Who will get free textbooks under Odisha's new scheme?
About 28.7 lakh students of Classes 9 and 10 in government and government-aided secondary schools in Odisha. SC and ST students are not part of this scheme because they already receive free textbooks.
How much will the free textbook scheme cost?
The estimated outlay is Rs 284.07 crore for five years, from 2025-26 to 2029-30.
Why did the Odisha government approve the scheme?
The government says it wants to reduce the cost burden on poorer families, increase enrolment in government schools, reduce dropouts and help students move from elementary to secondary education.
What is the Odisha textbook error controversy?
The opposition BJD has claimed that more than 1,600 errors were found in 55 government-supplied textbooks for Classes 1 to 8. The chief minister set up a three-member panel to fix responsibility, while the BJD has demanded the education minister's resignation.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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