Newton the ‘pilot’, Hampi as Konark, Nimbuda: 1600+ errors in Odisha textbooks

Amid growing concerns over the functioning of the Education Department, Odisha’s School and Education Department has come under scrutiny after more than 1,600 factual errors, incorrect illustrations, and at least three Bollywood songs were found across 55 textbooks for Classes 1 to 8.

The state had recently revised its school curriculum in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. However, the updated textbooks prepared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) were found to contain multiple errors, with Class 8 books accounting for the highest number of mistakes at 705.

Glaring errors

The errors ranged from incorrect historical references and geographical inaccuracies to wrong scientific terms and illustrations.

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Among the major mistakes identified, scientist Sir Isaac Newton was described as the “greatest pilot”, while Karnataka’s Legislative Assembly was mistakenly identified as the Odisha Legislative Assembly. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Hampi temple complex was also incorrectly labelled as the Konark Sun Temple.

Several geographical inaccuracies were found in the textbooks as well. Odisha’s Niyamgiri hill range was incorrectly marked in Jharkhand, while Berhampur was described as a district despite being a city located in Ganjam district.

Science textbooks also contained errors, with key concepts being incorrectly labelled. Terms such as equinox were wrongly identified as equator, while temperature was confused with pressure.

Bollywood songs in textbooks

The textbook controversy further intensified after SCERT was found to have included lyrics from popular Bollywood songs in school books without appropriate contextualisation.

The Class 5 English textbook featured the complete lyrics of “Nimbuda Nimbuda” from the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The same song was also included in the Class 8 art textbook Kriti under a section on music. While Nimbuda Nimbuda is originally a Rajasthani folk song, the printed version is not that version but the Bollywood adaptation of it penned by Mehboob.

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The Class 8 art textbook also featured “Rind Posh Maal” and “Bumbro Bumbro” from the 2000 Hrithik Roshan-starrer Mission Kashmir as examples of Kashmiri folk music. In this case too, while both songs are based on traditional Kashmiri folk compositions, the textbook used the popularised Bollywood versions instead of traditional folk renditions.

How did the errors happen?

Officials attributed the lapses to the pressure of completing textbook preparation within a limited timeframe. Sources said that instead of involving qualified local experts, SCERT outsourced layout work, Desktop Publishing (DTP) and content compilation to external agencies.

The mandatory proofreading and vetting processes were reportedly skipped due to the urgency of preparing books for the academic session.

Officials suspended

The errors triggered political criticism and prompted Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi to order a high-level inquiry. The investigation held SCERT responsible for the faulty curriculum rollout.

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Four senior SCERT officials, including former director Manoj Padhi, were suspended, while disciplinary action was initiated against six assistant directors. Padhi, who previously served as Director of Teachers’ Training, was suspended along with three assistant directors over their alleged role in the textbook irregularities.

Correction measures

Following the controversy, the state government ordered a review of the textbook preparation process and directed officials to strengthen quality-control mechanisms.

Teachers have been instructed to manually correct mistakes in classrooms using official errata sheets. The government is preparing a Master Errata Register and has started distributing correction sheets to district education offices and government schools.

Chakradhar Mallik, District Education Officer (DEO), Bhadrak, said corrected sheets listing the mistakes and their rectifications have been sent to schools. “Teachers will correct the errors and teach accordingly,” he said.

Opposition attacks government

The textbook errors have also triggered a political row, with Opposition parties demanding accountability.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) called the mistakes a “shame” for Odisha and demanded the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond along with a CBI inquiry into the issue.

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Former Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik criticised the state government, saying the distribution of error-filled textbooks had “shaken the very foundation of children’s future”.

BJD student wing president Ipsita Sahu said the party would launch a statewide agitation unless strict action was taken against those responsible.

Congress leader Yasir Nawaz demanded that the money spent on the faulty textbooks be recovered from officials and individuals responsible for the lapses.