Odisha's Textbook Scandal: Chief Minister Calls for Criminal Probe into Shocking Errors

Investigation Launched into Textbook Errors

Bhubaneswar: On Saturday, Odisha's Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced a criminal investigation into significant errors found in textbooks for students from grades I to VIII.

The Chief Minister has instructed the Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) with the Crime Branch Superintendent of Police, according to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office.

The SCERT, responsible for printing these textbooks, distributed them to over 4 million students statewide. A staggering 1,600 errors were identified across 55 textbooks, including a notable mistake that referred to scientist Isaac Newton as a pilot.

During a private meeting, the Chief Minister expressed concerns about a potential 'conspiracy' aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the state's BJP government, given the unusually high number of inaccuracies, such as incorrect location labels and factual errors.

Previously, Majhi had established a high-level administrative committee led by Development Commissioner D K Singh to investigate the situation. Following this, the state government suspended the then SCERT director along with three assistant directors and initiated disciplinary actions against six additional assistant directors from SCERT.