Bhubaneswar (PTI): The Odisha government on Thursday ruled out withdrawing school textbooks containing errors, saying teachers have been instructed to identify and correct the mistakes during classroom teaching while revised editions will be introduced from the 2027-28 academic session.
Admitting that textbooks for Classes I to VIII contained errors, State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Director Madhusmita Sahu said the books had already been distributed among students across the state and therefore would not be withdrawn.
Teachers have been asked to guide younger students in correcting the mistakes in their books, while students of higher classes will be encouraged to identify and rectify the inaccuracies themselves under the supervision of teachers, she said.
"The revised and corrected textbooks will be published from the 2027-28 academic session," Sahu said, adding that SCERT has already initiated measures to ensure that future editions are free from errors.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJD demanded immediate withdrawal of the textbooks and supply of corrected copies to students.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty alleged that the presence of errors in textbooks could create confusion among students and adversely affect their performance in examinations.
"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.
A day after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered a probe, the government constituted a high-level committee to investigate the lapses.
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.
—
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.