Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Thursday said corrected versions of the newly introduced Class I textbooks would be supplied to students soon, even as School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond denied reports that the books contained the kind of errors being highlighted in the media.

The clarification came after a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to review the controversy surrounding alleged errors in newly introduced school textbooks.

Fresh textbook errors trigger debate over quality control

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Gond said the claims regarding mistakes in the Class I textbooks were being misrepresented by sections of the media.

"The kind of errors being reported since yesterday do not exist in the manner they are being projected. Corrected textbooks will soon be provided to students," the minister said.

Referring to criticism over the inclusion and presentation of songs in the textbooks, Gond said several media outlets, including national media, had incorrectly portrayed the issue.

On inclusion of Nimbooda Nimbooda..., a popular bollywood song, in the school textbook in Odisha, he maintained that the National Education Policy (NEP) encourages exposure to songs and cultural content from different states, and alleged that this aspect was being wrongly projected as an error.

The minister also accused sections of the media of spreading misinformation without properly examining the facts.

"What is being shown in the media is not positive. Instead of analysing the issue objectively, misinformation is being spread," he said.

However, when asked why the Crime Branch was investigating the issue if there were no major errors, Gond did not respond to the question.

The controversy deepened after fresh mistakes were reported in 'Jhulana-1', a Class I textbook prescribed for English-medium private schools in Odisha.

The book reportedly introduced the Odia alphabet in an unusual sequence, beginning with the consonant 'ଚ' instead of the vowel 'ଅ'. The subsequent order includes 'ଟ', 'ମ', 'ଗ', and 'ର' while 'ଅ' and 'ଆ' appear later, raising concerns among teachers and parents about its impact on foundational language learning. 

The textbook has also come under scrutiny for alleged errors in the state anthem "Bande Utkala Janani", where the phrase "Ghana Ghana Banabhumi" was reportedly printed as "Ghana Banabhumi". Another reported mistake involved the spelling of "Utkala" in the national anthem.

The latest controversy follows the recent revelation that more than 1,600 errors were detected in newly published textbooks for Classes I to VIII, prompting criticism from opposition parties, educationists and parents.

The School and Mass Education Department has maintained that corrections are being carried out based on suggestions from educationists and subject experts, and assured that revised, error-free textbooks will be distributed to students soon.