Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Sharan Majhi on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into the errors found in textbooks prescribed for classes I to VIII (academic session 2026-27), and identify the officials, departments or agencies responsible for the same.
Magee “took a serious view” of the issue at a high-level review meeting and sought corrective action and accountability, people familiar with the matter said. Schools and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond and Chief Secretary Anu Garg were among those who attended the meeting.
The meeting was held amid concern among teachers, parents and educationists over the quality of the revised textbooks prepared in line with the National Education Policy 2020.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Majhi had instructed officials to ensure that all mistakes are corrected immediately and safeguards are put in place to prevent such lapses from recurring. He sought copies of the textbooks at the review meeting.
Majhi said that a three-member committee will investigate the matter and determine how the errors occurred and who is responsible, and will submit its report within seven days. The committee is also likely to suggest corrective action
Further action will follow the committee’s findings, the people cited above said. They added that strict action would likely be taken against those found responsible for the errors.
Brahmananda Maharana, president of the Odisha Primary Teachers’ Association, said 1,678 errors had been identified in the textbooks, ranging from misspellings and factual inaccuracies to incorrect names of prominent figures and faulty photographs. An image of the Karnataka Legislative Council instead of an image of Odisha is among the errors reported.
The errors raised questions about the auditing and quality control mechanisms for preparing textbooks. As the academic session began, officials said textbooks needed to be corrected as soon as possible.
