Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has implemented the ‘Gyanodaya-Shiksha Ru Samruddhi’ scheme, commonly known as free education from KG to PG, from the current academic year 2026-27.
Students covered under the scheme must maintain 75 per cent classroom attendance during each academic year, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference here, Suraj said the scheme took effect from the academic session 2026-27. Students availing benefits under the ‘Gyanodaya’ scheme must maintain a minimum classroom attendance of 75 per cent, which may be relaxed up to 65 per cent in exceptional circumstances.
Attendance will be verified through a government-approved biometric or other digital attendance system, the minister said.
Under the Higher Education department, the scheme will cover eligible students enrolled in regular undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programmes offered by state public universities, government colleges, and government-aided private colleges.
However, the scheme will not apply to self-financing courses, distance education, correspondence courses, open education, programmes offered under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, professional, technical and teacher education programmes, including BEd, MEd., BHEd, ITEP, LLB, LLM, BBA, BCA, MBA, MCA, and other similar courses, he clarified.
It will also not apply to private higher educational institutions functioning in the state, he stated.
To avail the benefits of the scheme, students must secure admission to an eligible regular UG or PG programme through the Student Academic Management System (SAMS), he said.
Under the scheme, he said, the government will bear the admission fee, re-admission fee, development fee, and all other fees collected by institutions at the time of admission.
Suraj made it clear that all eligible students will be exempted from all such admission-related charges. Higher education institutions will not collect any such fees from students covered under the scheme. Students will only be required to pay the prescribed examination fee.
Further, he said, the government will reimburse eligible institutions by releasing the approved financial assistance in instalments.
State public universities, government colleges, and government-aided private colleges cannot revise or modify the fee structure for courses covered under the Gyanodaya scheme, he said, adding that the fee structure uploaded on the SAMS Portal for the Academic Session 2026-27 will remain applicable.
A State-Level Fee Regulation Committee will be constituted to oversee matters relating to fee regulation. In exceptional cases, institutions can submit proposals for revision of fees before the committee for consideration.
However, the minister pointed out that the syndicate or governing body of any institution will no longer have the authority to revise the approved fee structure independently.
He also said that students who have already paid the fees will receive a refund in due course of time.
Suraj further stated that effective implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Gyanodaya scheme will play a pivotal role in achieving the vision of Viksit Odisha 2036.
“The scheme is expected to reduce dropout rates and significantly improve access to higher education across the state. It will help realise the government’s vision of “Education for All and Higher Education for All”, ensuring equitable educational opportunities from all parts of Odisha,” he asserted.
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