Education in Odisha traces from the very early era. From the pre historic era to the Buddhist era, Odisha became the place of education till medieval era.

Early Education in Odisha
In the Jajpur district of Odisha, the ruins of an ancient university and centre for Buddhist learning, Ratnagiri, were recently discovered. It was one of the oldest universities of the world. In the early days, scholars from far away lands such as Persia, China used to study philosophy, astronomy, mathematics and science at this university. It is a proven fact that education in Odisha has a historic background starting from the early ages.

Modern Education System in Odisha
The modern education system in Odisha is mainly divided in three sectors: Primary, Secondary and Higher education. According to the 2001 census, the number of literates in Odisha is approximately 2, 05,53,786. Male literacy is 75.95% and female literacy is 50.97%. Among the districts, Malkangiri has the lowest literacy rate of approximately 31.26%. Women literacy rate is lowest in Nabarangpur district, at 21.02% approximately. The highest rate of literacy in Odisha is in Khurda district accounting for 80.19% approximately. It has also the highest female literacy of 71.06% approximately. The high literacy rate of Khurda district is influenced mainly by the inclusion of the state capital in the statistics. Although there are considerable disparities between areas and communities among the states, the literacy rate of Odisha is quite comparable with the all-India average with 63.61% approximately. Presently Non-formal and adult literacy programs are carried out in various districts and are at different stages of implementation.

Primary Education in Odisha
The primary level (class 1 to 7) is estimated at 54.62 lakhs approximately. There are almost 42104 primary schools (class 1 to 5) and 11510 upper primary schools (up to class 7) totalling 53614 schools. This list excludes schools in the Private sector, and Non-formal schools run by village education committees and NGOs. Under the District Primary Education Programme free text books were given to 16 districts. From 2002, Book Banks has been set up to provide books to the needy students. In most of the districts missing children`s, who do not come to schools has been identified and the process is still in progress in other districts.

Secondary Education in Odisha
There are almost 3496 government secondary schools in Odisha. Around 658 private secondary schools also get grant-in-aid from government. There are, in addition, 1530 private schools recognised by the state government. In 2002, approximately 3,33,027 students have taken the examination conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, (BSE) Odisha. The BSE also conducts examinations in Sanskrit language, namely Prathama and Madhyama which is taught in schools meant for Sanskrit education.

Higher Education in Odisha
Higher education in Odisha is witnessing a major transformation over the last five years. There are eleven deemed universities in Odisha, among them notable ones are Utkal University (at Bhubaneswar), North Odisha University at Baripada, Odisha University of Agricultural Technology (OUAT) at Bhubaneswar, Utkal University of Culture at Bhubaneswar, Sri Jagannatha Sanskrit University and Sadashiva Kendriya Vidyapeetha Deemed (Sanskrit) University both at Puri etc. Many of these universities have colleges under them and some are autonomous. Various new engineering colleges has come up in Odisha where one can get admission after appearing through the Common Entrance Test (CET) conducted by Odisha Private Engineering College Association (OPECA) and Odisha Private Medical College Association (OPMCA).

Undergraduate and Post graduate Education in Odisha
The state of Odisha also has one of the prestigious institutions of India, NIT Rourkela. National Institute of Technology was upgraded from Regional Engineering College. Another premiere college of Odisha is the University College of Engineering, Burla, is the first engineering college in Odisha. Indian Institute of Mass Communication IIMC is situated in Dhenkanal is a premier institute for Mass Communication And Journalism. The Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) is a premier business school located in the state capital. The National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar (NISER) is another premier educational cum research institution that is being set up. The Government of Odisha has provided 935 acres of land at Arugul near Jatni Railway Station for IIT Bhubaneswar. Classes have already started from 2008 batch.

Related Articles
Odisha, Indian state
Temples of Odisha
Nature Tourism in Odisha