Odisha textbooks had 1,741 errors after ₹175 crore printing spend

The Odisha government has acknowledged that 1,741 errors and suggestions were identified in school textbooks for Classes 1 to 8 after the books had already been printed and distributed, with the state having spent around ₹175 crore on their printing and publication.

The disclosure was made in the Odisha Assembly on Friday by School and Mass Education Minister Nityanand Gond in a written reply to a question from Congress MLA Sofia Firdous.

Of the 1,741 issues identified, 1,075 were grammatical, typographical or spelling errors, while five were classified as factual or conceptual errors. Another 661 suggestions were made to improve the textbooks.

The findings have prompted the state government to revise the affected books and introduce additional checks in the textbook preparation process.

Class 8 Science book had highest number of errors

The data presented in the Assembly showed that some textbooks contained significantly more errors than others.

The Class 8 Science textbook had 294 errors, the highest among the books listed. It was followed by the Class 7 Urdu textbook with 121 errors, the Class 8 Sanskrit textbook with 114, the Class 6 Social Science textbook with 98 and the Class 7 Sanskrit textbook with 92 errors.

For students, textbooks are among the most important sources of learning, making errors in printed material particularly significant. While most of the mistakes identified were language or typographical in nature, the presence of factual and conceptual errors raised a separate concern about the academic accuracy of the material being used in classrooms.

Government orders stricter checks

Gond said the errors identified in the textbooks had been corrected in revised editions and that additional safeguards were being put in place.

The minister said subject and language experts would conduct fact-checking during the preparation of textbooks to reduce the possibility of similar mistakes appearing in future editions.

"Error-free books are being printed and distributed to students," he said.

The minister also said the Directorate of Teacher Education and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) were responsible for publishing the textbooks, which were printed on the basis of drafts prepared by the council.

Officials face disciplinary action

The government has also initiated action against officials over the lapses.

Gond said that after the errors came to light following printing and distribution, the matter was taken seriously. The then director was suspended along with three assistant directors, while disciplinary proceedings were initiated against six other assistant directors.

The disclosure puts the spotlight on the checks that were in place before the textbooks reached students and on the need for stronger editorial and academic scrutiny in publicly funded school material.

The government has now said that revised editions and additional expert-level checks are being used to ensure that textbooks distributed to students are free of such errors.