Odisha Chief Minister Orders Probe into 1,600 Errors in School Textbooks

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday ordered the formation of a three-member panel to investigate the responsibility for approximately 1,600 errors found in new textbooks for Classes 1 to 8.

The errors, including spelling mistakes and incorrect names of notable personalities, were highlighted a day earlier by teachers in government-run schools. The panel, headed by the development commissioner, is expected to submit its report within seven days.

According to Bramhananda Maharana, president of the Primary Teachers' Association, the errors were detected in textbooks prepared in line with the National Education Policy 2020 for the 2026-27 academic session. Among the mistakes, a photograph of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly was used instead of the Odisha Assembly, and the Niyangiri hills, located in Kalahandi and Rayagada districts, were incorrectly stated to be in Jharkhand.

Chief Minister Majhi reviewed the textbooks and expressed displeasure over the errors. He also directed authorities to correct printing mistakes immediately.

The opposition parties have criticised the state government over the issue. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik described the errors as a result of 'extreme carelessness and utterly callous attitude.' In a social media post, he said the government had failed to provide textbooks on time and that those provided were riddled with errors, undermining children's education. He also alleged disrespect to eminent personalities and noted that Berhampur was incorrectly named as a district instead of Ganjam.

Odisha Congress chief Bhakta Charan Das announced that party workers would stage a protest outside the school and mass education minister's official residence on Thursday. He stated that Rs 50 crore was spent on printing the textbooks, which are now considered unusable due to the errors. Das accused the government of harming Odia identity and the future of school children.

The BJD also issued a statement calling the textbooks a 'national embarrassment.' BJD MLA and former minister Arun Sahoo alleged that the government was prioritising ideological appointments over qualified experts, warning that the education system would collapse if this approach continued.

Odisha CPI(M) state secretary Suresh Panigrahy demanded that all school students be provided error-free textbooks free of charge.

The textbooks were revised by the Directorate of Teacher Education and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) in consultation with teachers and academic experts as part of the curriculum overhaul under NEP 2020.