Odisha CM orders high-level probe into 1,678 textbook errors
Synopsis
Nearly 1,678 errors in Odisha's newly introduced school textbooks — 705 in Class VIII alone — have triggered a high-level government inquiry ordered by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. With a seven-day deadline for the probe committee and opposition parties demanding the education minister's resignation, the textbook fiasco has become a full-blown political and administrative crisis for the BJP government in Odisha.
Key Takeaways
Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi ordered a high-level inquiry on 17 June into errors found in state school textbooks.
A total of 1,678 errors were identified in SCERT Odisha textbooks for Classes I to VIII under Odisha Curriculum 2025 .
Class VIII textbooks alone contain 705 errors , including 294 in Jijnasa and 114 in Sanskrit .
A three-member committee under the Development Commissioner must submit its report within 7 days .
BJD and Congress have demanded the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond .
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday, 17 June directed officials to take immediate corrective action and ordered a high-level inquiry after nearly 1,678 errors were detected in school textbooks published under the Odisha Curriculum 2025 for Classes I to VIII. The directive came during a review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister at Lok Seva Bhavan in Bhubaneswar.
Key Decisions from the Review Meeting
The meeting, attended by School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, Chief Secretary Anu Garg, and senior officials from multiple departments — joining via virtual mode — resulted in two immediate directives. First, officials were instructed to rectify all identified errors without delay. Second, a three-member high-level committee was constituted under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner to investigate the lapses and identify the officials or agencies responsible.
The committee has been given a seven-day deadline to submit its report. Stringent action will follow against those found responsible, according to the Chief Minister's Office statement.
Scale of the Errors
The textbooks in question were prepared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Odisha, under the new curriculum framework. According to reports, the Class VIII textbooks alone account for the highest number of errors at 705, including 294 mistakes in Jijnasa, 114 in Sanskrit, 31 in Literature, and 25 in Social Science. Significant errors were also reported in English and Mathematics across other classes.
Chief Minister Majhi emphasised the need to maintain the highest standards of accuracy in educational materials and underscored that such lapses are unacceptable.
Opposition Demands Accountability
The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Indian National Congress (Congress) launched a sharp attack on the state government, alleging that the errors expose the deterioration of Odisha's education system under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administration. Both parties demanded the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond and called for a public apology over the glaring mistakes.
This comes amid broader scrutiny of curriculum overhauls across several Indian states, where rushed implementation of new frameworks has repeatedly led to quality-control failures in printed materials.
What Happens Next
The high-level committee is expected to deliver its findings within seven days, after which the government has committed to taking punitive action. Whether corrected textbooks will reach students before the current academic year progresses further remains a key question for parents and educators across the state.
Point of View
678 mistakes across just eight grade levels — points to a systemic failure in the editorial and quality-assurance pipeline at SCERT Odisha, not a minor oversight. Rushing a new curriculum framework into print without adequate review cycles is a pattern seen in multiple states, yet accountability rarely reaches the contracting and approval chain. The seven-day committee deadline is politically expedient but may be too short for a credible audit of how these errors passed every checkpoint. The real test for the Majhi government is whether punitive action reaches the decision-makers who approved the print run, or stops at lower-level functionaries.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What errors were found in Odisha school textbooks?
Nearly 1,678 errors were identified in textbooks prepared by SCERT Odisha under the Odisha Curriculum 2025 for Classes I to VIII. Class VIII alone had 705 mistakes, including 294 in Jijnasa, 114 in Sanskrit, 31 in Literature, and 25 in Social Science, with additional errors in English and Mathematics.
What action has Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi taken?
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered immediate correction of all errors and constituted a three-member high-level committee under the Development Commissioner to investigate the lapses. The committee must submit its report within seven days, after which stringent action will be taken against those found responsible.
Which classes are affected by the Odisha textbook errors?
The errors span textbooks for Classes I to VIII published under the Odisha Curriculum 2025. Class VIII has the highest concentration of mistakes at 705, but errors were reported across multiple subjects and grade levels.
What is the opposition demanding over the textbook errors?
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress have demanded the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond and a public apology from the state government, alleging the errors reflect a deterioration of Odisha's education system under the BJP administration.
When will the high-level committee submit its report?
The three-member committee, chaired by the Development Commissioner, has been directed to submit its findings within seven days of its constitution. The government has stated that action against responsible officials or agencies will follow based on the report.
