Bhubaneswar, June 30: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday strongly criticised the Odisha BJP government over the alleged large-scale printing errors in school textbooks, saying the lapses have shaken the trust of lakhs of students and undermined the credibility of the education system.

In a post on social media, Patnaik said school textbooks are far more than ordinary books, describing them as the first source of truth for every child. He remarked that while children may question many things, they never doubt the words printed in their textbooks, making them a symbol of absolute faith and trust.

He said textbooks play a vital role in shaping not only a student's knowledge but also confidence in society and public institutions. According to Patnaik, mistakes in these books go beyond simple printing errors and have the potential to damage the foundation of children's education and future.

The former Chief Minister accused the state government of handling the issue carelessly and criticised what he described as repeated flip-flops over the withdrawal of error-ridden textbooks. He alleged that such actions reflected a disregard for the interests of students and had weakened public confidence in the education system.

Questioning the government's accountability, Patnaik asked who would take responsibility for eroding the trust of an entire generation of Odia children. While acknowledging that the mistakes could be corrected in future editions, he said the loss of students' confidence would be far more difficult to restore.

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