Odisha sets up high-level committee to probe errors in new school textbooks

Bhubaneswar, June 18 (IANS) Following Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s directive, a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh was constituted on Thursday to probe the publication of faulty school textbooks for Classes I to VIII containing glaring errors.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the other two members of the committee are Secretary, Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya, and Deputy Secretary, General Administration & Public Grievance Department, Smita Pani.

The committee will investigate the printing-related errors and determine the level at which they occurred, as well as identify the officials or institutions responsible for the lapses. The committee has been directed to complete the inquiry and submit its report within seven days.

It may be noted that errors in textbooks for Classes I to VIII have created difficulties for students in their studies. Taking a serious view of the matter, the Chief Minister reviewed the issue on Wednesday.

During the review meeting, he directed that the errors be rectified immediately and that stringent action be taken against those found responsible for the lapses. School and Education Minister Nityananda Gond, Chief Secretary Anu Garg and senior officials from various departments also participated in the meeting through virtual mode.

Expressing concern over the issue, CM Majhi emphasised the need to maintain the highest standards of accuracy in educational materials and instructed officials to ensure that all identified mistakes are corrected without delay.

According to reports, the new textbooks prepared by SCERT, Odisha, under the Odisha Curriculum 2025 for Classes I to VIII contain nearly 1,678 identified errors. The highest number of mistakes — 705 — has been found in the Class VIII textbooks alone, including 294 errors in Jijnasa, 114 in Sanskrit, 25 in Social Science, and 31 in Literature, along with several significant errors in English and Mathematics.

–IANS

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