The Odisha government has approved free textbooks for more than 28.7 lakh students of government run schools. The decision was cleared at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday October 13 chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The meeting ratified 16 proposals in total. Under the new move students of Classes 9 and 10 will get textbooks without paying anything. The announcement comes at a time when the state is dealing with a row over errors found in school textbooks.
Free Textbooks for Classes 9 and 10
Chief Secretary Anu Garg said students of Classes 9 and 10 in government and government aided secondary schools will now receive free textbooks. Students from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were already getting free books and the new scheme covers everyone else. The state government said the move intends to ensure equitable access to quality education. It also wants to reduce the financial burden on economically weaker families and enhance enrolment in publicly owned schools. Another goal is to cut dropout rates and increase the transition from elementary to secondary education.
The scheme will remain in force for five years from 2025-26 to 2029-30. Its total estimated outlay is Rs 284.07 crore and it will cover a tentative 28.7 lakh beneficiaries. The procurement of paper and the printing and transportation and distribution of textbooks will be done through a transparent and competitive process. This process will follow the Odisha General Financial Rules and applicable procurement guidelines. The School and Mass Education Department will set up a framework to collect and verify and validate beneficiary data through field level verification. It will also ensure that textbooks reach schools before the beginning of each academic session.
Textbook Errors Row Behind the Decision
The decision to extend free textbooks follows a recent row over the supply of textbooks plagued with errors. The Opposition had sought the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over this issue. Earlier on September 25 the state government said 1741 mistakes were found in textbooks for Classes 1 to 8. These books were printed and published at a cost of Rs 175 crore. In a written reply to a question by Congress MLA Sofia Firdous the minister informed the Assembly that 1075 grammatical typographical and spelling errors were detected across various school textbooks. He added that five factual and conceptual errors were also found in these books.
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