Odisha Textbook Row: Errors Were ‘Exaggerated’ in Media, Corrected Books to Be Uploaded Soon, Says Education Secretary

Bhubaneswar, July 1: Amid the ongoing controversy over errors in Odisha school textbooks, School and Mass Education Secretary N. Thirumala Naik on Wednesday said the mistakes reported in the media have been “exaggerated” and assured that corrected versions of the textbooks will soon be made available online.

Addressing the media, Naik said the state government is treating the issue with utmost seriousness and has already initiated corrective measures.

Corrected Textbooks to Be Available Online

The Education Secretary said subject experts and educationists are reviewing the textbooks to rectify the errors.

“Once the review is completed, the corrected versions of the textbooks will be uploaded on the department’s official website so that students, teachers and parents can access them easily,” he said.

He added that the government would strengthen the textbook preparation and review process to prevent similar lapses in the future.

‘No Need to Panic’

Naik appealed to students, parents and teachers not to panic, stating that the department is working on a war footing to resolve the issue.

He advised students to continue using the existing textbooks until the revised editions are officially released.

‘Errors Exaggerated in Media’

Responding to criticism over the textbook controversy, the Education Secretary claimed that the number of mistakes had been overstated.

“The errors in the textbooks are much fewer than what has been reported. Some of the issues highlighted in the media and on social media are subjective in nature,” he said while citing examples to support his claim.

How the Controversy Began

The controversy erupted after nearly 1,678 errors were reportedly detected in 55 SCERT textbooks for Classes I to VIII, prepared under the new curriculum aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Odisha Curriculum Framework.

The reported mistakes included factual inaccuracies, grammatical and spelling errors, incorrect captions, wrong photographs, geographical mistakes and scientific inaccuracies. Class VIII textbooks reportedly accounted for the highest number of errors.

The issue affected nearly 40 lakh students and drew sharp criticism from teachers, parents and educationists across the state.

Government Action

Following the controversy, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter.

A three-member committee was constituted to investigate the lapses, following which the former Director of Teacher Education and SCERT and several other officials were suspended. Disciplinary proceedings have also been initiated against other officials allegedly responsible for the textbook preparation and review process.

Meanwhile, education experts and critics have attributed the controversy to rushed publication schedules, inadequate proofreading and shortcomings in implementing the revised curriculum.