Odisha school textbooks contain 1,678 errors, including factual inaccuracies and misattributions

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Odisha, has acknowledged 1,678 errors across 55 new textbooks for students in classes 1 to 8. The errors include factual inaccuracies, grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, and wrong references, according to officials who spoke to The Indian Express.

Among the notable errors, the Class 8 social science book states that Odisha's Niyamgiri Hills are in Jharkhand, and a photograph of the Karnataka Assembly building is labelled as the Odisha Vidhan Sabha. In the Class 8 science book, Sir Isaac Newton is described as the “greatest pilot,” while another Class 8 book titled 'Jasmine' identifies Hampi in Karnataka as the Konark Sun Temple.

Officials attributed the errors to a compressed publishing turnaround of just six months, copying content from NCERT textbooks without adequate adaptation, insufficient proofreading, and negligence. “It took at least three years for the NCERT to prepare textbooks, whereas the SCERT set a deadline of just six months. Concerns raised over inadequate timing to develop content before final publication were ignored,” said an official requesting anonymity.

The textbooks have already been distributed in many districts. SCERT director Madhusmita Sahoo told reporters that students will continue using the same books throughout the current 2026-27 academic year. She added that teachers have been instructed to point out errors in classrooms and rectify them; for higher classes, students will correct errors under teacher guidance. Corrections will be incorporated only in books published for the next academic year.

Odisha School and Mass Education Secretary N Thirumala Naik declined to comment but stated that a committee headed by the development commissioner would investigate the matter.

The errors have drawn widespread criticism from parents and educationists, especially as the state government, led by the BJP, had decided to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) and overhaul the school curriculum to align with NCERT guidelines. SCERT sources said that multiple rounds of review are normally undertaken before publication, but the thorough process was not followed this time.