Bhubaneswar: Altogether 1,741 errors were detected in in the new school textbooks introduced for students from Class I to Class VIII in Odisha during the current academic session, the state Assembly was informed on Friday.
This information was shared by School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond while answering a question in the House.
Out of the 1,741 errors and suggestions recorded in the published corrigendum, five were factual or conceptual errors, 1,075 were grammatical, typological or spelling errors, and 661 were suggestions for improvement, he said.
The Minister also informed that prior to final approval by the Core Committee, the textbooks were prepared and developed through a workshop mode. They were reviewed and proof-read, and further examined by subject experts for one day.
The Minister further said specific errors relating to the photograph of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, the location of Niyamgiri Hills, and the identification of the Konark Sun Temple were noticed. A corrigendum containing the correct information has been sent to schools for the reference of teachers and students.
According to the minister, action has been taken against 10 officials in connection with the errors found in the textbooks. The former director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), along with three former deputy directors, has been suspended from service.
Disciplinary proceedings have also been initiated against six deputy directors in connection with the lapses.
He further said that the government is continuing the process of preparing and supplying revised textbooks to address the identified mistakes.
Steps have been taken to prevent recurrence of such errors and to ensure accuracy of Odisha’s history, geography, language and heritage in the future revised editions of the textbooks, the Minister added.
