Bhubaneswar: A three-member committee probing errors in Odisha school textbooks has submitted its report to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, paving the way for possible action against officials responsible for the lapses.
Headed by the Development Commissioner Deo Ranjan Kumar Singh, the panel submitted its findings within the seven-day deadline.
The committee was constituted after more than 1,600 errors surfaced in textbooks prescribed for the current academic session for students of Classes I to VIII. This drew criticism from teachers, parents and Opposition parties. CM Majhi later directed the panel to identify officials and agencies responsible for publishing inaccurate content and submit a report within a week.
Among the other widely discussed mistakes are the description of Sir Isaac Newton as a ‘great pilot’ instead of a scientist, the use of an image of Karnataka’s Vidhan Soudha in place of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, and the identification of Hampi’s famous stone chariot as the Konark Sun Temple. Other inaccuracies reportedly involve Odisha’s geography, history and cultural heritage. Odisha Parents’ Federation described the publication of the error-ridden textbooks as a serious failure of the education system.