Education

Based on the Odisha Migration Survey, 2023, this chapter presents an overview of the educational attainments of the general and youth population in Odisha. It finds that the highest percentage of people (13.4%) have completed secondary education (Class 10), 12.6% of the population was illiterate, and illiteracy was higher among women (16.5%) compared to men (8.9%). Overall, males had higher educational attainments than females, and furthermore, gender disparity was more pronounced at higher levels of education, such as graduate and professional education. There was a continuation of the rural-urban divide in educational attainments. The coastal region had better educational attainments in Odisha compared to the northern and southern regions, and educational outcomes varied for different caste groups, as overall educational attainments were better for upper castes, followed by Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes. The chapter thus shows the different ways in which inequality in educational attainments exists in Odisha, highlighting disparities across different categories, including gender, region, and caste. This chapter is an important contribution to a discussion about the state’s development trajectory, as it provides an update on the 2011 Census results and discusses the most up-to-date status of educational attainments in Odisha.