BHUBANESWAR: Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday came down heavily on the state government over errors in Odia textbooks and said the BJP has caused the greatest disrespect to Odia language after coming to power with the ‘Odia Asmita’ slogan.
In a social media post, the leader of the Opposition said it reflects the extremely irresponsible and callous attitude of the government towards education. While the government is unable to provide textbooks to children on time, the numerous errors have shattered children’s hopes for a better education.
Stating that education is the backbone of life which paves the path to prosperity, Naveen said the education system in the state has collapsed. “Is this how the BJP government wants to build the future of children,” he added.
Misrepresenting the names of great personalities, referring to Brahmapur as a district instead of Ganjam, and writing incorrect spellings are not trivial matters, he said and added, the way children’s education from childhood is being compromised is unpardonable. He called for error-free textbooks to be provided immediately and quality education for children ensured.
Addressing a media conference, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Bhakta Charan Das demanded that the government must find out the agency entrusted with printing of the textbooks. Stating that both Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and School and Mass Education minister Nityananda Gond must express regret over such errors, Das said someone should take accountability for these lapses. “There was NEET question paper leak, marking controversy surrounding CBSE and now errors in textbooks. But nobody has been held responsible for these lapses by the government,” he added.
CPM secretary Suresh Chandra Panigrahy demanded the matter be inquired by a retired judge or an eminent educationist. Stating that such errors in textbooks have raised serious questions on the education department’s efficiency, Panigrahy said corrected textbooks should be distributed to students free of cost.