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Fresh concerns have surfaced over the quality of school textbooks in Odisha after teachers claimed that a government-supplied Odia language book for Class 1 students studying in English-medium private schools contains mistakes in both the National Anthem and the state's official song. 

Although these schools are privately managed, the Odisha government provides Odia language textbooks to their students. The latest allegations come even as authorities are already dealing with a separate controversy involving numerous errors found in textbooks distributed to students of Classes 1 to 8 in Odia-medium government schools. 

The School and Mass Education Department, however, dismissed the latest reports, stating that the claims are "unjustified" and that the process of correcting identified mistakes is already in progress.  

Teachers Flag Errors in National Anthem and State Song 

The new allegations emerged while the CID-Crime Branch of the Odisha Police continues its investigation into the large number of mistakes previously detected in government school textbooks. 

Earlier, officials identified more than 1,600 errors including spelling mistakes and incorrect references to eminent personalities across 55 textbooks supplied by the department. 

Teachers have now pointed to alleged inaccuracies in the Class 1 Odia textbook titled Jhulana-1. 

“Serious mistakes have been detected in the Odia textbook named ‘Jhulana-1’, in which there is a spelling error in the word 'Utkala' in the National Anthem,” pointed out a teacher. 

Another issue was reportedly noticed in Odisha's state song, Bande Utkala Janani. 

“In the phrase 'Ghana Ghana Banabhumi' (series of forests), one ‘Ghana’ is missing,” pointed out a teacher working in Jagatsinghpur district. 

Teachers, Parents Raise Additional Concerns 

Apart from the alleged textual errors, teachers have also questioned the way the Odia alphabet has been introduced in the book. According to them, the textbook starts with the consonant 'Cha' instead of the vowel 'Aa', which they believe could make learning more difficult for young students. 

They further claimed that the structure of the textbook has left both teachers and children confused during classroom instruction. 

Another issue raised relates to the availability of textbooks. Teachers alleged that several schools received only a 168-page PDF version electronically instead of printed books. 

As a result, many parents reportedly had to arrange printed copies of the digital file themselves so that their children could continue their studies without disruption. 

Parents have urged the state government to rectify the errors quickly and ensure that printed textbooks are supplied to schools instead of relying on PDF documents. 

Government Says Revised Textbooks Will Be Issued 

Responding to the controversy, the School and Mass Education Department rejected media reports suggesting fresh errors, describing them as “unjustified.” 

“Correction of mistakes in textbooks is underway on the basis of inputs provided by educationists and experts. The rectified version of the textbooks will be provided to the students soon,” the department said in an X post on Wednesday. 

The issue follows an earlier directive from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who ordered the CID to investigate the widespread mistakes found in government school textbooks. The Chief Minister has also expressed suspicion that there may have been a “conspiracy” behind the publication of the error-filled books.