The Odisha government’s decision to continue with error-ridden school textbooks and rely on teachers to correct mistakes in classrooms is deeply flawed. Education cannot be reduced to a trial-and-error exercise. With nearly 1,700 reported errors ranging from factual inaccuracies to distorted history and geography, students stand to suffer the most.

Teachers are meant to impart knowledge, not spend valuable classroom time rectifying printing and editorial blunders. Such an approach risks confusion, inconsistent learning and long-term damage to students’ academic foundation.

Instead of persisting with this ill-conceived experiment, the government should immediately withdraw the faulty books and provide corrected editions to safeguard the future of Odisha’s children.

Many people see a larger scam in this entire episode. More skeletons will tumble in the coming days. The corrupt IAS Officer in question as well as the Publishers responsible for this “national shame”, must not be spared.