The Odisha government on Thursday dismissed any plans to recall school textbooks riddled with errors, explaining that teachers have instead been directed to identify and correct the mistakes during classroom lessons, while revised editions will be introduced in teh schools starting in the 2027-28 academic year.
Acknowledging that textbooks for Classes I to VIII do have errors, State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Director Madhusmita Sahu noted that because the books have already been delivered to pupils statewide, they will not be pulled back.
She explained that teachers have been tasked with assisting younger students in patching up the errors in their book, whereas students in higher classes will be motivated to track down and mend the misprints on their own with teacher oversight.
“The revised and corrected textbooks will go into print for the 2027-28 school year,” Sahu stated, pointing out that SCERT has already put steps into motion to guarantee future prints remain error-free.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJD demanded immediate recall of the current books and and supply of corrected copies to students.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty alleged that leaving flawed material in textbooks risks baffling young learners and could take a heavy toll on their exam grades.
“The government’s actions are intended to damage the future of Odisha’s students,” he alleged.
Claiming that textbooks containing 1,760 errors had been distributed among students of Classes I to VIII in government schools, Mohanty said the government had failed to withdraw the books despite acknowledging the mistakes.
“After the issue came to light, the chief minister convened an emergency meeting yesterday and ordered a high-level inquiry. However, no step has been taken to withdraw the error-ridden books,” he said.
Just a day after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi demanded an investigation, the government set up ahigh-level committee to look into the massive oversight.
According to an official notification, Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Deo Ranjan Kumar Singh will head the panel. Secretary of the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department Bijay Ketan Upadhyay and Deputy Secretary of the General Administration Department Smita Pani will serve as members.
The committee has been tasked with examining the nature and extent of the errors, identifying the stage at which the lapses occurred and fixing responsibility on the officials or agencies concerned.
The panel has been asked to complete the inquiry within seven days and submit a comprehensive report to the government.
