Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has suspended four senior officials of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and initiated disciplinary proceedings against six others following an inquiry into errors detected in school textbooks.
The action was taken after a committee headed by the Development Commissioner submitted its report to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said on Friday.
Based on the committee’s recommendations, the government placed under suspension the then Director of the Directorate of Teacher Education (Teacher Training & SCERT), Manoj Padhi, along with three Assistant Directors—Pradipta Mishra, Dilip Kumar Sahu and Bharati Tudu.
Disciplinary proceedings have also been initiated against six Assistant Directors: Bandita Pattnaik, Manas Ranjan Rout, Manoranjana Mahapatra, Dr. Prashant Kumar Sahu, Manas Kumar Nayak and Dr. Sudarshan Santara.
The state government has also decided to implement 14 recommendations made by the inquiry committee to strengthen the textbook preparation and review process and prevent recurrence of such errors.
Among the key measures, SCERT will maintain a Master Errata Register and ensure that corrected information is communicated to all students. A dedicated Quality Assurance Cell will also be established within SCERT to improve quality control in textbook development.
The government has further mandated that no school textbook will be sent for printing in future without obtaining the required approvals relating to language, illustrations, content and printing quality.
The CMO said the reforms are aimed at improving the quality of education and ensuring greater accuracy and accountability in the preparation of school textbooks.
