Odisha found 1,741 errors in its textbooks for Classes 1 to 8; ₹175 crore went on printing

The Odisha government has told the state Legislative Assembly, in a written reply on 25 September 2026, that 1,741 errors were found in school textbooks for Classes 1 to 8. The state spent ₹175 crore printing and publishing them.

What was found

• 1,075 grammatical, typographical and spelling errors.
• 5 factual or conceptual errors.
• 661 suggestions for improving the books.

The worst-hit books

Book	Errors
Class 8 Science	294
Class 7 Urdu	121
Class 8 Sanskrit	114
Class 6 Social Science	98
Class 7 Sanskrit	92

What the government says it has done

The books were published by the Directorate of Teacher Education and SCERT. The minister said the errors will be corrected in revised editions, that subject and language experts now fact-check books while they are being prepared, and that error-free books are being printed and distributed. The then director and three assistant directors were suspended, and disciplinary action was started against six more assistant directors.

For teachers and parents

Most of the errors are language slips, but five are factual or conceptual, the kind that end up in a child's notebook and exam answers. Until the revised editions reach classrooms, teachers of Class 8 science in particular should cross-check contentious passages against the reference material before teaching them.

CareerBox News Desk, reporting on the written reply of the Odisha School and Mass Education Department in the Odisha Legislative Assembly on 25 September 2026. Official portal: odishaassembly.nic.in. Dates and eligibility change; confirm them on the official portal before you act.