Bhubaneswar, July 18 (UDN): The Odisha Crime Branch on Friday stepped up its investigation into alleged errors in government school textbooks by conducting searches at the offices of the Odisha Textbook Production and Marketing (OTPM) and the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) in Bhubaneswar.
OTMP Director Sambit Kumar Nayak
A Crime Branch team scrutinised records related to textbook production, printing and tender procedures while questioning officials associated with the publication process. Investigators also seized key documents, including tender files, communications from the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), and the original digital PDF files used for printing.
Officials said the seized digital files will be compared with the printed textbooks to determine at which stage the discrepancies were introduced.
Speaking briefly to reporters, Crime Branch DSP Narendra Behera confirmed that all relevant production and printing records had been seized and statements of officials had been recorded. However, he declined to disclose further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
OTPM Explains Printing Process
Responding to the probe, OTPM Director Sambit Kumar Nayak said the textbooks were printed strictly on the basis of the hard and soft copies supplied by OSEPA and prepared under the revised NCERT curriculum.
He acknowledged that the compressed production schedule left little time for detailed quality checks, which may have contributed to the errors found in the books.
According to Nayak, nearly 52 per cent of the textbooks had already been distributed before the beginning of the academic session on April 1, while the mistakes came to light only after the books reached schools.
“The textbooks were prepared in accordance with NCERT guidelines. Since the revised curriculum had to be implemented within a limited timeframe, the production process was carried out under considerable time pressure. With a longer preparation period, many of these procedural lapses could have been avoided,” he said.
The OTPM Director also clarified that the agency’s responsibility was limited to printing the textbooks based on the manuscripts and digital files provided by OSEPA. He suggested that implementing the revised textbooks from the following academic year, instead of immediately, could have allowed adequate time for proofreading and quality assurance.
Probe Continues
Apart from OTPM, the Crime Branch sought detailed information from OSEPA regarding the number of textbooks printed for Classes I to VIII, subject-wise distribution, and payments made to printing agencies.
The investigation is aimed at identifying whether the textbook errors resulted from human oversight, procedural lapses, or negligence during the preparation, proofreading, editing or printing stages. Officials said the probe will continue until accountability for the discrepancies is established.