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1,678 errors found in Odisha school textbooks
Bhubaneswar: Serious concerns have emerged over the quality of newly introduced Odia-medium textbooks in Odisha government schools after authorities identified 1,678 spelling, grammatical, factual, and contextual errors across books for Classes I to VIII.
The textbooks, prepared under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 framework for the 2026-27 academic session, were developed by the Directorate of Teacher Education and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) with the involvement of teachers and academic experts.
The mistakes came to light after the books, which had already been delayed due to printing issues, reached schools. Teachers reviewing the material reported numerous inaccuracies ranging from typographical errors to major factual blunders.
Among the most striking errors, Sir Isaac Newton has been described as a "great pilot" instead of a scientist. Another passage incorrectly states that Newton boiled water instead of eggs; the intended anecdote referred to him mistakenly boiling his watch while absorbed in scientific work.
Several geographical and cultural mistakes
Several geographical and cultural mistakes have also been detected. A photograph of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly was wrongly identified as the Odisha Legislative Assembly, while an image of the Hampi temple complex was used to represent the Konark Sun Temple.
Other inaccuracies include identifying the Humma salt pans as being located in "Berhampur district" instead of Ganjam district and describing Niyamgiri as a mountain range in Jharkhand rather than Odisha.
The review also uncovered errors in mathematics, science, and geography textbooks. In some cases, wheat was written as paddy, glass as cup, temperature as pressure, food web as food cycle, and equinox as equator. Mistakes were found not only in Odia textbooks but also in books published in Hindi, Sanskrit, English, and Urdu.
School and Mass Education Minister acknowledged
School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond acknowledged the issue, saying the state government introduced NEP 2020 after coming to power and prepared 55 new textbooks for Classes I to VIII based on NCERT guidelines.
"We had constituted a steering committee to oversee the implementation of the new education policy. Based on its recommendations, SCERT prepared the textbooks. Since the books were produced within a short timeframe, some printing and editing errors may have occurred," Gond said.
Senior officials said all identified mistakes have been compiled and a corrigendum has been issued to schools. The department has initiated corrective measures to ensure students are not adversely affected during the ongoing academic session.
The large number of errors has sparked criticism from educators and parents, raising questions about the review and quality-control mechanisms followed before the textbooks were approved and distributed.
