Particle.news

Odisha to Withdraw and Reissue School Textbooks After Widespread Errors

Officials say an expert review with temporary correction sheets will allow public feedback before new printed replacements are issued.

Overview

  • The state announced Wednesday that it will withdraw the recently circulated Class I–VIII textbooks, correct identified mistakes and supply fresh printed editions to students.
  • Authorities have issued interim correction sheets to teachers and published an OSEPA corrections list online so classroom teaching can continue without relying on the flawed pages.
  • A high-level committee led by the Development Commissioner reviewed the books and the government has suspended four senior SCERT officials while initiating further disciplinary action.
  • Errors cited by teachers and reviewers include spelling and factual mistakes, misplaced images and maps, wrong names, and verbatim song lyrics; the state says the widely reported figure of about 1,600 errors is an overcount.
  • The problem has large operational and financial stakes because nearly 29.8 million copies were printed for 2026–27 with about ₹21 crore spent on outsourced printing, and officials plan to upload revised drafts for expert and public feedback before final printing.