Bhubaneswar: The BJD’s youth and student wings Sunday announced a two-day Assembly gherao from September 22 over errors in school textbooks for Classes I to VIII, demanding the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond.
Biju Yuva Janata Dal president Chinmay Sahu and Biju Chhatra Janata Dal president Ipsita Sahu, briefing reporters, accused the state government of failing to withdraw the error-ridden textbooks despite repeated protests.
They alleged that the books were supplied late after the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) and contained multiple errors, raising concerns ahead of the students’ examinations.
They also alleged irregularities in the publication process and claimed a Rs 380-crore scam, alleging the involvement of Gond.
The BJD leaders said the party had earlier organised statewide protests demanding withdrawal of the textbooks, a high-level inquiry and the minister’s removal, but alleged that the government had failed to take adequate action.
They said that if Gond did not resign by September 22, the youth and student wings would stage a round-the-clock sit-in outside the Assembly from that day. They appealed to students and youth across Odisha to join the agitation and sought support from parents, social organisations, intellectuals and senior citizens.
The leaders also alleged that the government’s handling of the textbook issue had adversely affected the state’s education system and the educational future of students.
They said the BJD would continue to raise issues concerning the quality of education and the protection of Odisha’s language, literature, culture and heritage.