Former CM Naveen Patnaik hits out at Odisha government, alleging ‘callous’ handling of school textbooks

Odisha LoP Naveen Patnaik. File. | Photo credit: PTI

Biju Janata Dal President and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday (June 30, 2026) attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party government that the state government’s callous handling of school textbooks betrayed the sacred trust of a child for whom textbooks are the first source of truth.

“School textbooks are not just books. For every child, they are the first source of truth. A child can doubt many things, but never the words printed in a school textbook. These words are an article of absolute faith and trust,” Mr. Patnaik wrote on ‘X’.

“Through textbooks, an entire generation learns not only facts but also builds faith in the system and trust in the society. When that trust is compromised, the damage goes far beyond a printing error. It strikes at the very foundation of our children’s future. Odisha BJP government’s callous handling of school textbooks has betrayed that sacred trust,” he said.

“By printing flawed textbooks and then stumbling over their withdrawal, we are shaking the very foundation of our children’s future. The government can correct the textbook in the next edition. But who will bear the cost of shattering the faith of an entire generation of Odia children? Who will answer for the blow to their confidence, a blow that no revision can heal.” Mr. Patnaik?

There were hundreds of errors in the newly released textbooks for students studying from Standard I to Standard VIII. The books were prepared by the State Council for Education, Research and Training (SCERT).

Although the Mohan Charan Majhi government suspended four officials, including former SCERT director Manoj Padhy, the controversy showed no signs of abating.

Errors in textbooks have so far exceeded 2,000. Errors are not limited to spelling errors, as educators have pointed out “mistakes” made in basic terms. According to textbooks, the Pandavas and Kauravas played Kabadi and Devi Sita gave birth to Lava and Kush at Sitabinj, a place in Odisha’s Keonjhar district. “Women facing medical complications during conception can be cured if they walk past Devi Sita’s cradle,” the textbook said.

It has been written in the books that Mahamahopadhya Chandrasekhar Singh Samant Harichandan Mohapatra, known as Pathani Samant, a famous astronomer of Odisha, fixed the exact time of his death and came to see Lord Jagannath in Puri, just 13 days before his death.

Parents and educators questioned the concept, saying that while students were supposed to gain more scientific knowledge, the books were fundamentally based on blind faith.

Nityanand Gond, minister for schools and mass education, said corrected copies of textbooks would be supplied to teachers and they would correct the errors in their classrooms.

Meanwhile, BJD members hit the streets alleging massive misappropriation of government fund while printing textbooks. They demanded the resignation of the Minister of Education and Mass Education.

Published – 30 Jun 2026 23:46 IST