Overview
- Teachers reviewing Class I–VIII books flagged hundreds of mistakes, and the Primary Teachers Association said a total of 1,678 errors were found in the new SCERT textbooks.
- Errors range from misspellings and factual mistakes to wrong photographs and geographic mislabels, including a Karnataka assembly photo used for the Odisha Assembly and Niyamgiri shown as being in Jharkhand.
- The opposition BJD and Congress called for immediate withdrawal, a high-level inquiry and revised editions, saying the books damage Odia language and culture and mislead students.
- The state government acknowledged the lapses, issued a corrigendum and on Wednesday set up a three-member high-level committee led by the Development Commissioner to probe the matter and report within seven days.
- Officials warn corrected printing and redistribution will take time and students could use flawed books for months, raising concerns about SCERT’s editorial and approval processes under the NEP-2020 rollout.