Odisha school textbooks found with 1,678 spelling, factual and contextual errors: Newton called a pilot, Hampi shown as Konark, equinox as equator

A total of 1,678 spelling, factual and contextual errors have been identified in newly introduced Odia textbooks for Classes I to VIII in government schools for the 2026-27 academic session, according to a Times of India report that cited the School and Mass Education Department.

The textbooks were prepared by the Directorate of Teacher Education and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) as part of the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 curriculum overhaul. The errors came to light after the books, whose distribution was delayed due to printing issues, recently reached schools across the state.

Teachers reviewing the textbooks reported a wide range of mistakes, from spelling errors to factual inaccuracies.


Blunders Found
In one instance, Sir Isaac Newton was described as a "great pilot" instead of a scientist. Another textbook stated that Newton boiled "water" instead of eggs, whereas the intended anecdote referred to him mistakenly boiling his watch while engrossed in an experiment.

Several geographical and cultural inaccuracies were also found. A photograph of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly was incorrectly identified as the Odisha Legislative Assembly, while an image of the Hampi temple complex was used to represent the Konark Sun Temple. Humma salt pans were shown as being located in "Berhampur district" instead of Ganjam district, and Niyamgiri was incorrectly identified as a mountain range in Jharkhand rather than Odisha.

Apart from numerous spelling mistakes involving place names and historical figures, errors were found in mathematics, science and geography lessons. In some cases, wheat was written as paddy, glass as cup, temperature as pressure, food web as food cycle, and equinox as equator.

As per the TOI report, mistakes were also found in Hindi, Sanskrit, English and Urdu books.

Based on NCERT content, the department prepared 55 new Odia-medium textbooks for Classes I to VIII as part of the implementation of NEP-2020, a reform introduced by the current government after it came to power.

"We had formed a steering committee to oversee implementation of the new education policy and based on its recommendations, SCERT prepared the textbooks. The books were prepared within a short period, which may have resulted in some printing and editing errors. We have identified the mistakes and the process to rectify them is underway," the minister said.

Senior officials said all identified errors have been compiled and a corrigendum has been issued to schools to minimise any impact on students during the current academic session.

The department has begun the correction process and said revised content will be provided to ensure students are not affected. Officials attributed the mistakes partly to the short timeframe available for preparing the textbooks and said steps are being taken to strengthen the review process for future publications.