Bhubaneswar: The absence of formal orientation for textbook writers and a decision to give subject experts just one day to vet final manuscripts were among the key lapses that contributed to 1,731 errors in Odisha’s new school textbooks, according to an inquiry report obtained under the RTI Act. The findings, which shed fresh light on the textbook controversy, surfaced even as opposition BJD’s protest over the issue disrupted assembly proceedings for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.The findings are part of Inquiry Report Regarding Errors Identified in Government Textbooks from Classes I to VIII, submitted by a three-member committee to state govt in June and accessed by RTI activist Pradip Pradhan from school and mass education department on Monday.The report states that while writers and experts involved in previous textbook development exercises underwent a two-day orientation programme, no formal orientation was conducted in 2025-26 on textbook translation and contextualisation.“Earlier subject experts were given 3 months’ time for final review/editing the final manuscript but in the current case, the subject experts were given only one day time to go over the manuscript which was inadequate,” the report said.The committee also found that page-by-page verification between the printer’s proof and the final printed copy was inadequate.Comparing the exercise with the textbook revision undertaken after implementation of National Curriculum Framework, 2005, the committee noted that new textbooks were then prepared and introduced in a phased manner across three academic sessions between 2007 and 2012. In contrast, the present exercise involving translation and contextualisation of NCERT books and development of Odia textbooks was carried out in a much shorter timeframe during 2025-26, with textbooks for Classes I to VIII rolled out simultaneously in the 2026-27 academic session.The committee observed that, in several cases, the same resource persons performed multiple roles, including writer, reviewer, proofreader and final subject expert. According to the report, such overlap contributed to non-detection of errors, particularly when the same individual served as both writer and reviewer or final subject expert.It further noted that all language textbooks had been reviewed by Odia Bhasha Pratisthan during earlier development cycles, but that practice was not followed in the latest exercise. The report also pointed out that while field testing had been conducted in previous textbook revisions, no field testing was undertaken in 2025-26.The panel found no written records indicating oversight of the textbook development process by any senior supervisory officer. “There are no such documents which show that the process was closely monitored by any senior supervisory officer,” the report said.“The fact that content and conceptual errors were not detected clearly shows that the processes of subject review, academic scrutiny and final academic approval were weak,” the committee observed.The committee, headed by Development Commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh, further stated that supervisory failure was evident as sample-copy audits or quality-clearance mechanisms did not appear to have been firmly conducted before statewide distribution of the textbooks.The report said 1,731 errors were detected in textbooks for Classes I to VIII. Of these, five were classified as factual errors, while the remaining were spelling and printing errors. It may be mentioned here that Crime Branch probing the textbook errors had arrested then SCERT director Manoj Kumar Padhy in July while three assistant directors were suspended and four others faced disciplinary proceedings.
