From Spelling Mistakes To Wrong Photographs; Over 1,600 'Errors' Found In Odisha School Textbooks

A group of teachers from government schools in Odisha has flagged multiple mistakes in the newly introduced textbooks for Classes 1 to 8. According to them, the books contain spelling errors, wrong names of well-known personalities, and several factual mistakes, reported PTI.

Bramhananda Maharana, president of the Primary Teachers Association, said that more than 1,600 errors have been found in these textbooks. These books were prepared based on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and are being used from the 2026–27 academic session.

He explained that the mistakes are of different types, including spelling errors, incorrect information, and even the use of wrong photographs. For example, a picture of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly has

been used instead of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. In another case, the Niyamgiri Hills in Odisha have been wrongly shown as being located in Jharkhand.

“A total of 1,678 errors were detected in the textbooks for Classes 1-8. A photograph of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly was mistakenly used in place of the Odisha assembly,” he told the news agency.

Maharana has demanded a proper investigation into the matter and action against those responsible. He also said the government should quickly fix the errors and provide corrected textbooks to students. “The government should immediately correct the errors and distribute revised textbooks to the students,” he said.

School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond said the department is aware of the issue and is taking steps to correct the mistakes. He added that since the books are newly prepared, some printing errors may have occurred.

“As the textbooks were newly prepared, there might have been some printing mistakes,” Gond said.

Meanwhile, the opposition BJD has criticised the BJP government over the issue. Party spokesperson Lenin Mohanty called the textbooks a “national embarrassment” and said such mistakes harm Odisha’s language, culture, and the future of students. The party has demanded that all faulty textbooks be withdrawn immediately and a high-level inquiry be conducted.