Odisha govt. orders crime branch probe into errors in school textbooks

The Odisha government on Saturday (July 11) ordered a criminal investigation into the large-scale errors found in school textbooks of students from class 1 to class 7.

The State government has acknowledged 1,678 errors in textbooks. However, further mistakes were also detected in the list of rectifications sent to teachers.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed a criminal investigation into the entire process. He also instructed the Director of State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to file an FIR with the Crime Branch Superintendent of Police.

Earlier, a high level committee under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner inquired into the matter. Based on the committee’s report, a former director of SCERT along with three assistant directors were suspended, while disciplinary action was initiated against six assistant directors.

The errors in school books had embarrassed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government with Opposition ridiculing that the government was unable to publish school textbooks. According to the audit, the textbooks were riddled with grammatical and spelling mistakes as well as factual blunders.

Errors galore

In one of the textbooks, it is mentioned that the Hindu goddess Sita was believed to have given birth to Lav and Kush at Sitabinj, a place in Odisha’s Keonjhar district. Women who face medical complications in conceiving can overcome the condition if they circumambulate the cradle of Devi Sita. This goes against government’s efforts to build scientific temper in students.

A Class 5 textbook has reportedly reproduced verbatim the lyrics of the popular song “Nimbuda Nimbuda” from the 1999 Hindi film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in one of its chapters.

Even authors of school textbooks mixed up places of Odisha with that of other States. Odisha’s Niyamgiri Hill was in Jharkhand, a photograph of Karnataka Vidhana Soudha was used to represent the Odisha Legislative Assembly and an image of the Hampi complex was used in the place of the world famous Konark Temple.

Biju Janata Dal, the principal Opposition party in the State, had alleged that there was corruption to the tune of ₹300 crore in preparation of school books.