Crime Branch Begins Probe into Odisha Textbook Errors, Visits OSEPA Office

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The Crime Branch has begun investigating the Odisha textbook errors case.
A five-member team visited the OSEPA office to examine the textbook publication process.
The Odisha government has acknowledged 1,678 errors in Class I to VIII textbooks.

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha textbook errors investigation has gathered pace after the Crime Branch initiated a detailed probe into the large-scale mistakes found in school textbooks. Acting on the direction of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, a five-member team visited the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) office on Friday to examine how the textbooks were prepared, approved and published.

The investigation comes amid growing concerns over the quality of educational materials introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, following the government’s admission that hundreds of textbooks contained grammatical, factual, historical and geographical mistakes.

Odisha Textbook Errors Investigation Focuses on Publication Process

The Crime Branch team, headed by DSP Narendra Behera, began scrutinising official records related to textbook compilation, editing, approval and printing.

According to sources, investigators questioned OSEPA Deputy Director Itishree Nayak regarding the procedures followed during the preparation and approval of the textbooks.

The latest development follows the arrest of former SCERT Director Manoj Padhy, who is facing investigation in connection with the controversy.

Officials said the probe is examining whether established quality-control mechanisms were followed before the textbooks were printed and distributed across government schools.

Crime Branch Examining Financial and Administrative Lapses

The Odisha government has confirmed that 1,678 errors were identified in textbooks for Classes I to VIII.

The mistakes include:

Grammatical errors
Factual inaccuracies
Historical mistakes
Geographical inaccuracies

To address the issue, OSEPA had earlier circulated a 122-page correction list to district education officers for teachers’ reference. However, reports indicate that the correction document itself contained several errors, raising further questions about the review process.

Preliminary findings have also pointed to a possible financial loss of around ₹175 crore to the state exchequer due to the printing and distribution of faulty textbooks.

Probe Aims to Fix Accountability in Odisha Textbook Errors Investigation

Investigators are now reviewing digital records, official correspondence, procurement files and approval documents to determine whether administrative negligence or procedural lapses contributed to the publication of error-filled textbooks.

The Crime Branch is expected to identify the officials and agencies responsible for the mistakes and recommend further legal or departmental action based on its findings.