Odisha textbook row: BJD youth and student wings protest, demand School Education Minister’s resignation

The Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD), the youth wing of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and the party’s students’ wing, Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD), on Tuesday staged a protest at Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar, demanding the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over massive errors found in textbooks in Odisha.

BYJD state president Chinmoy Sahu and BCJD state president Ipsita Sahu led the protest. Thousands of youth and student members of the two organisations took part despite the rain.

The regional party alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government has damaged the education system for future generations by publishing error-ridden textbooks from Class I to Class VIII under the National Education Policy (NEP-2020).

The party said it detected more than 1,678 errors in textbooks published under NEP-2020. It claimed that despite being aware of the errors, the state government distributed the textbooks to students.

“The books contain numerous errors which are harming the education of children. A Rs 380-crore scam has taken place in the publication of the textbooks. Departmental Minister Shri Nityananda Gond is also involved in this corruption. Despite the demand for his resignation, the Minister has not stepped down, and therefore the agitation has been intensified,” alleged BJD leaders.

The BJD said the errors were a serious concern as students' examinations approached. It questioned how students would prepare for examinations using textbooks containing errors. It said that while lower-level employees are being arrested, senior officials are being allowed to go free.

“Till now, students have not received error-free textbooks. The BJP government is playing with the future of the students of the state through its disastrous education system,” claimed the opposition party.

According to the party, its youth and student wings have been holding a round-the-clock dharna in front of the Odisha Legislative Assembly over the issue. BJD MLAs also joined the protest after the Assembly was adjourned amid opposition uproar over the textbook issue. They marched from the Assembly to the dharna site and staged a protest in the rain.

The BJD warned that its agitation would intensify if the government failed to act on its demands. The BYJD and BCJD are scheduled to gherao the Odisha Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.

Both organisations said thousands of students and youths would participate in the protest and press the government to address the textbook issue and remove the minister from the Council of Ministers.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by Education Post)