Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday ordered a detailed inquiry into the large number of grammatical and factual errors detected recently in the newly introduced Odia textbooks for Classes I to VIII in government schools and directed officials to take immediate corrective measures.
Chairing a high-level meeting, the chief minister ordered the constitution of a three-member committee, headed by Development Commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh, to investigate lapses in the preparation, review and publication of the textbooks. The committee has been asked to submit its report within a week. Based on its findings, stringent action will be taken against the individuals or institutions found responsible for the lapses.
At the meeting, attended by School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond and Chief Secretary Anu Garg, among others, Majhi directed the school and mass education department to ensure that all identified errors are rectified at the earliest to prevent any adverse impact on students.
The department has acknowledged that several errors were detected in textbooks for Classes I to VIII after they were distributed to schools. The books were prepared following a revision of the syllabus under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for the current academic year.
The textbooks were prepared by the Directorate of Teacher Education and the State Council of Educational Research and Training, which engaged teachers and academic experts in the exercise.
During an internal review after distribution of the books, the department identified 1,678 errors across textbooks from Classes I to VIII. These include factual inaccuracies, spelling mistakes, language errors and incorrect names and references. The highest number of errors was found in Class VIII textbooks, followed by Classes VII and VI.
The controversy has triggered criticism from teachers, educationists and parents, many of whom have questioned the quality-control mechanisms adopted during the preparation and publication of the textbooks. Officials in the department said corrective measures are being initiated while a corrigendum has been issued to teachers to correct the errors while conducting class.
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