Bhubaneswar, Jul 1: The Odisha government has finally announced sweeping corrective measures to address the recent textbook error controversy, pledging to provide revised, error‑free books to schools across the state.

School and Mass Education Department Secretary N. Thirumala Naik stated that new textbooks will be supplied to students at the earliest, incorporating corrections based on expert reviews and public feedback.

“Children will now study from revised books. Opinions of specialists and the general public will be taken into account, and the corrected versions will be published on the department’s website,” Naik said.

Also read: Odisha Govt to Supply Corrected Textbooks to Schools

“The government is making efforts to provide new books at the earliest. Along with the old committee, new members have also been included. Experts and senior officials of the department have also been involved,” he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond had stated that all schools will receive the revised books for the current academic year. He emphasized that investigations are underway and any officials found guilty of negligence will face disciplinary action.

“Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has already taken strong action, suspending several officials and directing the implementation of a 14‑point recommendation to prevent future lapses,” said Gond.

Among the key measures are a four‑tier verification system and a “final locked PDF mechanism” to ensure no unauthorized changes are made before printing.

The four‑tier system includes:

• Mandatory academic approval of language, illustrations, data, and printing before any book goes to press.
• Pilot testing of new books by distributing sample copies to teachers before mass printing.
• A locked PDF mechanism, restricting access to final versions only to authorized officials.
• A public errata portal to transparently display corrections and updates.

Meanwhile, the controversy has intensified for suspended former SCERT director Manoj Padhi. A letter written in 2024 by over 10 legislators to the Chief Minister has resurfaced, alleging corruption, intimidation of staff, and arbitrary behaviour during his tenure. The letter claimed Padhi frequently abused officials and failed to deliver meaningful reforms during his two years as SCERT director.

Padhi had earlier been stripped of additional responsibilities following complaints from a Mayurbhanj MP, but was reinstated after alleged high‑level intervention.

Now, with the textbook fiasco, questions are being raised about whether criminal proceedings may follow against him and other suspended officials.

Alongside Padhi, three assistant directors have been suspended and disciplinary action has been initiated against six others. The Chief Minister has hinted at a deeper probe, suggesting that the issue may involve a larger conspiracy.