Bhubaneswar: More than 50% of students studying in Class 8 in Odisha are unable to read ‘Haran.’ Additionally, over 50percent of students cannot solve Divide.’ The concerning state of school education in Odisha has been acknowledged by the state’s Minister of School and Mass Education. However, while admitting this issue, he also compared Odisha’s progress with the national average and claimed that the state’s performance is relatively better.
while responding to a question by MLA Chandramani Kanhar in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, Minister Nityananda Gond referred to the ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) Survey Report and provided data on the learning levels of Class 8 students in the state.
According to the ASER Survey Report 20 24, 69. 5 percent of Class 8 students in Odisha were able to solve ‘Fedan.’ This marks an improvement of approximately 6% over the past decade. In 2014, 63.4% of students could solve ‘Fedan,’ whereas in 2024, this percentage increased to 69.5%. However, 30.5 percent of students in Class 8 are still unable to solve it. Comparatively, the national average stands at 68.5%. The minister noted that Odisha’s performance is still below the national average.
Similarly, only 4 percen8.5 percenof Class 8 students in Odisha were able to read ‘Haran.’ In 2014, this figure was 37.9 percen, which has now increased to 48.5 percen in 2024. However, 51.5 percen of students in the state are still unable to read ‘Haran.’ Despite this, the Minister compared Odisha’s figures with the national average and claimed that the state is in a relatively better position. Nationally, 45.8 percen of Class 8 students can read ‘Haran,’ while in Odisha, the percentage is slightly higher at 48.5 percenOver the past decade, the number of students who can read ‘Haran’ in Odisha has increased by nearly 51 percen, according to Minister Gond.
The Odisha government, through its educational improvement programs, is providing supplementary learning materials in Odia, Mathematics, and English for Class 8 students. Minister Gond stated that, considering students’ needs, appropriate learning materials have been proposed under the “Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan” and included in the annual work plan and budget for 2025-26.
Despite significant financial investments by both the central and state governments in school education, there has been no substantial improvement in students’ academic performance, and the state government remains silent on the matter.
Under the ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan,’ free textbooks, uniforms, shoes, and mid-day meals are provided to students from Class 1 to Class 8. In the last academic year, the Odisha government distributed free textbooks to 44,98,112 students in these grades. Across the state, a total of 21,10,736 students are studying in Classes 6 to 8, out of which 3,21,816 students are enrolled in private schools, as per the school department’s report.