Bhubaneswar: A day after teachers in government-run schools of Odisha pointed out “several errors” in textbooks prescribed for Classes I to VIII this academic session, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi on Wednesday directed immediate corrective measures and formation of a high-level committee to fix responsibility.
In a key meeting held at Lok Seva Bhawan here, the Chief Minister, along with School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, Chief Secretary Anu Garg, and senior officials, reviewed the issue. Majhi instructed officials to immediately rectify the mistakes and ensure such lapses do not recur.
He also ordered the constitution of a three-member high-level committee under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner. The committee has been tasked with identifying the responsible officers or agencies and submitting its report within seven days. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty based on the findings, according to a CMO release.
The BJD, on Tuesday, had described the errors in the newly-published Odia textbooks as a national embarrassment, and demanded their immediate withdrawal from circulation and a high-level inquiry into the matter.
The errors, totalling over 1,678 across the textbooks with Class 8 books containing the highest of 705, include spelling mistakes, factual inaccuracies, wrong images, and incorrect information. Notable blunders include describing Isaac Newton as a “great pilot,” using a photo of Karnataka’s Legislative Assembly in place of Odisha’s, misplacing Niyamgiri Hills in Jharkhand, and confusing Hampi’s Vijaya Vitthala Temple with Konark Sun Temple. Similarly, Humma salt pans have been shown as being located in “Berhampur district”, which is a city in Ganjam district.
Issues were also flagged in subjects like Social Science, Sanskrit, and Jijnasa. The textbooks were revised by the directorate of teacher education and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), which engaged teachers and academic experts for the curriculum overhaul undertaken in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Meanwhile, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das announced that the party workers would gherao the School and Mass Education Minister’s official residence on Thursday.
He claimed that roughly Rs 50 crore of public money has gone down the drain due to these misprinted books. He targeted the ruling party, stating that the BJP came to power on the plank of protecting ‘Odia Asmita’ (Odia pride/identity), but is instead destroying it and crippling the future of school children. The OPCC chief further alleged that the textbooks were rushed to print without being finalised or vetted by the expert core committee.
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