The Mohan Majhi government on Wednesday announced that it would withdraw defective editions, publish corrected versions and distribute new copies of Odisha’s textbooks to students following backlash over factual and typographical errors.
“The corrected and revised textbooks will be available to students soon. Experts and educationalists are reviewing all errors. Once the corrections are completed, the revised textbooks will also be uploaded on the department’s website.” [School and Mass Education Department] The official website so that students and teachers can access it easily,” School and Mass Education Minister N Thirumala Naik said.
The decision comes after a series of errors in textbooks for grades one to eight sparked controversy, sparking criticism from the opposition, educators, and parents regarding the quality of educational materials provided to government schools.
Naik said the government took the issue “seriously” and was committed to ensuring that students get error-free textbooks as soon as possible.
The department will seek feedback from teachers, parents, researchers, subject matter experts and members of the public, and suggestions will be examined before the books are sent for final printing.
The government also expanded the committee formed to review books, to include subject matter experts, educators, and senior officials in school administration and public education.
Read also:Odisha suspends 4 SCERT officials after 1,700 errors in textbooks: Govt
Officials said the move aims to make the textbook review process more transparent. Naik said Prime Minister Majhi directed officials to strengthen the vetting mechanism for preparing textbooks in the future.
Naik did not specify when the new books would be available. The academic session has already started with unit tests in about a month.
The controversy erupted after multiple errors were discovered in the newly introduced textbooks prepared under the revised syllabus for the academic session 2026-27. The errors ranged from misspellings and factual inaccuracies, to incorrect maps, names, and photographs.
Among the errors are the placement of the Niyamgiri Hills in Odisha in Jharkhand, the use of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly building instead of the Odisha Assembly, and the image of Hampi being identified as the Konark Sun Temple.
A Class 5 textbook carried the lyrics of the song Nimbooda Nimbooda from the 1999 Hindi film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam verbatim in one of its chapters.
Teachers also pointed out instances of incorrect names of characters and images being exchanged in several textbooks.
Last month, Majhi formed a three-member high-level committee headed by Development Commissioner DK Singh to investigate these lapses. Based on the committee’s findings, the government last week suspended four senior officials of the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and initiated disciplinary proceedings against six other employees.
According to the Odisha School Education Program Authority (OSEPA), nearly 2.98 crore (29.8 million) textbooks were printed for the 2026-27 academic session, compared to about 2.70 crore (27 million) last year.
The Directorate of Textbook Production and Marketing (TBP&M) said about it $Rs 21 crore was spent on outsourcing printing work to private printers. This year’s revised syllabus included 55 SCERT textbooks, up from 46 in the previous academic session.
On Tuesday, former chief minister Naveen Patnaik criticized the incumbent BJP government on a social media post and demanded accountability, alleging that large-scale errors had “shaken the foundation” of children’s education.
