Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday directed the setting up of a three-member inquiry committee to identify those responsible for approximately 1,600 errors in newly distributed textbooks of classes 1 to 8.
The directive came a day after a section of teachers in government-run schools flagged widespread discrepancies across the newly revised curriculum, highlighting frequent spelling mistakes and incorrect names of eminent personalities.
The issue rapidly escalated into a major political controversy, with the opposition launching a scathing attack on the ruling BJP government, characterising the oversight as a reflection of “extreme carelessness and an utterly callous attitude” that has deeply wounded Odia pride.
Providing details on the textbook flaws, Bramhananda Maharana, President of the Primary Teachers’ Association, stated that more than 1,600 errors were uncovered in these school textbooks, which had been updated in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for the ongoing 2026-27 academic session.
Among the most glaring blunders, Maharana revealed that a photograph of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly was mistakenly printed as the Odisha Legislative Assembly, while Odisha’s Niyamgiri hills—located across Kalahandi and Rayagada districts—were misreported as being situated in Jharkhand.
Following a personal review of the learning materials on Wednesday, Chief Minister Majhi expressed strong displeasure over the editorial lapses and mandated the high-level panel, to be led by the state’s Development Commissioner, to investigate the matter and deliver a comprehensive report within seven days.
In tandem with the probe, Majhi ordered school education authorities to initiate immediate rectifications of all printing and factual mistakes in the books.
BJD president and Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik strongly criticized the state government on the matter and said that it was the result of “extreme carelessness and utterly callous attitude”.
In a post on X, the leader of the opposition said, “The detection of hundreds of errors in Odia textbooks for classes 1 to 8 exposes the BJP government’s extreme carelessness and utterly callous attitude.”
“While this government fails to provide textbooks to children on time, the textbooks that have been provided are also riddled with numerous errors, shattering children’s hopes for education,” he said.
Patnaik alleged that the education system under the BJP government has completely collapsed. “How does the BJP government intend to shape the future of children?” he questioned.
The BJD president also expressed concern over the “disrespect” to the eminent personalities of the state and the textbooks naming Berhampur as a district in place of Ganjam.
“Erroneous spellings are not trivial matters. By trampling upon the prestige of ‘Odia Asmita,’ the BJP regime, since coming to power, has disrespected the Odia language and script the most,” he alleged.
“The insults inflicted by the BJP government on children’s education from childhood are never forgivable,” Patnaik said.
The textbook revision process had been overseen by the Directorate of Teacher Education and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), which had brought in school teachers and academic specialists to execute the curriculum revamp under the NEP guidelines.
At a press conference, Odisha Congress chief Bhakta Charan Das announced that party workers would stage a demonstration and gherao the official residence of the School and Mass Education Minister on Thursday.
Das alleged that nearly Rs 50 crore of public money spent on printing these books was effectively wasted because the material is now being discarded due to the inaccuracies.
“The BJP came to power in Odisha on the plank of protecting Odia identity, but is instead destroying it and crippling the future of school children,” Das said.
In a statement, BJD termed the newly published textbooks a national embarrassment.
BJD MLA and former minister Arun Sahoo alleged that education was not a priority for the BJP government.
“The government is only interested in appointing people who align with their ideology, completely bypassing qualified experts. If this saffronisation policy is not abandoned, the education system will collapse,” he warned.
Odisha CPI(M)’s state secretary Suresh Panigrahy demanded that school students across the state should be provided with error-free textbooks for free.
