Odisha invites public to review revised Class 1-4 textbooks after 1,678 errors row
Odisha has invited public feedback on revised Class 1 to 4 textbooks after correcting identified errors. Citizens, teachers, parents and students have been given seven days to share their suggestions before the books are finalised.
The Odisha government has invited public feedback on the revised digital versions of textbooks for Classes 1 to 4, giving citizens seven days to review the corrected books and suggest further changes.
The move comes in the wake of the textbook controversy that saw 1,678 factual, typographical and printing errors detected in school books introduced for the 2026-27 academic session.
The revised drafts, prepared after incorporating corrections, have been uploaded on the websites of the School and Mass Education (SME) Department, the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
The government has urged teachers, students, parents and members of the public to send their suggestions through email or the Vidya Samiksha Centre helpline within seven days.
FROM ERRORS TO CORRECTIONS
The latest step follows the Odisha government's assurance that the mistakes in the SCERT-prepared textbooks would be corrected at the earliest. School and Mass Education Secretary N Thirumala Naik had earlier announced that revised books would first be placed in the public domain before being finalised.
According to the department, all feedback received during the consultation period will be reviewed before the textbooks are approved for publication. Printed versions carrying the corrected content will then be supplied to schools so that classroom teaching is not affected.
A ROW THAT REFUSED TO DIE
The textbook controversy has become one of the biggest education issues in the state this year. The discovery of hundreds of errors, including factual inaccuracies and spelling mistakes, triggered sharp criticism from the Opposition.
Both the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Congress staged protests, demanding the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond and calling for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the preparation, printing and distribution of the books.
Acting on the findings of a high-level enquiry committee headed by Development Commissioner D K Singh, the state government has already suspended four senior officers and initiated disciplinary proceedings against six others for alleged lapses.
The government has reiterated that students will soon receive new, error-free textbooks after the revision process is completed.
(With PTI inputs)
The Odisha government has invited public feedback on the revised digital versions of textbooks for Classes 1 to 4, giving citizens seven days to review the corrected books and suggest further changes.
The move comes in the wake of the textbook controversy that saw 1,678 factual, typographical and printing errors detected in school books introduced for the 2026-27 academic session.
The revised drafts, prepared after incorporating corrections, have been uploaded on the websites of the School and Mass Education (SME) Department, the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
The government has urged teachers, students, parents and members of the public to send their suggestions through email or the Vidya Samiksha Centre helpline within seven days.
FROM ERRORS TO CORRECTIONS
The latest step follows the Odisha government's assurance that the mistakes in the SCERT-prepared textbooks would be corrected at the earliest. School and Mass Education Secretary N Thirumala Naik had earlier announced that revised books would first be placed in the public domain before being finalised.
According to the department, all feedback received during the consultation period will be reviewed before the textbooks are approved for publication. Printed versions carrying the corrected content will then be supplied to schools so that classroom teaching is not affected.
A ROW THAT REFUSED TO DIE
The textbook controversy has become one of the biggest education issues in the state this year. The discovery of hundreds of errors, including factual inaccuracies and spelling mistakes, triggered sharp criticism from the Opposition.
Both the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Congress staged protests, demanding the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond and calling for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the preparation, printing and distribution of the books.
Acting on the findings of a high-level enquiry committee headed by Development Commissioner D K Singh, the state government has already suspended four senior officers and initiated disciplinary proceedings against six others for alleged lapses.
The government has reiterated that students will soon receive new, error-free textbooks after the revision process is completed.
(With PTI inputs)
