Odisha Education Minister Urged to Resign Over 1,678 Textbook Errors

Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday called on School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond to resign, citing errors in school textbooks for Classes I to VIII. Patnaik pointed to the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over similar issues as an example to follow.

Speaking to reporters, Patnaik said the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) had been demanding Gond's resignation for the past two to three weeks due to inaccuracies in the textbooks. The textbooks, printed for the 2026–27 academic session, contain 1,678 mistakes, causing public embarrassment for the Mohan Majhi government.

Despite the errors being flagged, and a high-level committee headed by Development Commissioner D.K. Singh being constituted, students continue to study from error-ridden books in classrooms, according to the BJD.

At a press conference in Bhubaneswar, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty reiterated the party's demand for the minister's resignation, citing the widespread errors. The party also raised concerns over repeated question paper leak incidents, stressing that strict and impartial enforcement of the law is necessary to prevent such occurrences and ensure accountability.

Mohanty noted that the Odisha government passed the Odisha Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 in December 2024. However, he claimed that despite 23 question paper leak incidents over the past two years under the current government, no one has been punished. He argued that merely enacting stringent laws is insufficient, and that sincere implementation and exemplary action against those responsible are urgently needed.