Odisha CM orders crime branch probe into textbook errors

Bhubaneswar: Days after chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi told TOI that the massive textbook errors could be the result of a “conspiracy” and warned that those responsible would be made to bear the cost of reprinting them if a probe showed culpability, the CM on Saturday ordered a crime branch investigation into the incident.Taking the issue with “utmost seriousness”, the CM ordered the director of Teacher Education and State Council of Educational Research and Training (TE & SCERT), Madhusmita Sahoo, to lodge an FIR. “He directed the director of SCERT to lodge an FIR with the Superintendent of Police of the Crime Branch,” a CMO statement said.A senior govt official said there were three reasons why the govt suspected a possible conspiracy — the scale of the errors, the inaction after the mistakes first came to light, and the manner in which the controversy escalated due to a flawed corrigendum issued by SCERT.“While the mistakes were noticed in March-April, the officials concerned sat over it and books were ordered to be printed. An error-ridden corrigendum was issued on June 2, complicating the issue further,” the official said.On June 25, in an exclusive interview with TOI, the CM had termed the large-scale errors in school textbooks a “possible conspiracy” and warned of strict punitive action against those responsible.

He had also assured corrective steps to prevent a recurrence.“Errors did occur earlier, but the scale this time is unusually high. The entire process — from manuscript preparation and vetting to printing — needs scrutiny. I suspect a larger conspiracy to defame the government,” the CM had said.He reiterated that those responsible would be identified and measures put in place to ensure such lapses do not recur. “The deadline for submission of the report has lapsed.

The findings should be ready,” he had said.As many as 1,678 errors have been detected in textbooks for classes I to VIII, triggering widespread resentment among teachers and students. The school and mass education department subsequently issued a corrigendum, asking schools to help students rectify the mistakes.However, the corrigendum itself came under criticism for introducing fresh errors. SCERT reportedly flagged several correct portions in textbooks as mistakes.In one instance, a true-or-false exercise was misread by the review panel, resulting in a correction that created the impression that the textbook described Sir Isaac Newton as a pilot. While the corrigendum claimed to have identified 1,768 errors, officials now say the actual number may be less than half after excluding minor spacing and formatting issues.Earlier, on June 26, the govt had suspended former TE & SCERT director Manoj Kumar Padhy and three assistant directors, while initiating disciplinary proceedings against six other officials following a probe by a three-member committee headed by development commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh.