Bhubaneswar, Aug 21: The availability of fake NCERT Class 9 textbooks in the market has raised serious concerns among students, parents and schools in Odisha. The new textbooks prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 were not available in the market on time, creating an opportunity for unscrupulous publishers to circulate counterfeit copies.
The fake books reportedly carry the NCERT logo, scanner codes and other details designed to make them appear genuine. However, several errors have been detected in these copies, raising concerns over their impact on students and also damaging the credibility of the national textbook body.
Multiple errors found in Social Science Textbook
Concerns intensified after several errors were reportedly found on page 216 of the Class 9 Social Science textbook. Parents alleged that as many as 11 errors appeared on the world map, including incorrect names and locations of countries and oceans.
Among the reported errors, the Pacific Ocean was shown instead of the Indian Ocean, Canada appeared in place of China, and the positioning of the US and Russia was incorrect. Greenland was also reportedly mentioned instead of Australia. An error in the spelling of “India” was also alleged.
However, the information available in the textbook uploaded on the official NCERT website was reportedly correct. The officially printed NCERT textbook was also found to contain the correct information, raising suspicion that the erroneous copies circulating in the market may be counterfeit.
NCERT had already issued warning
NCERT had reportedly issued a press warning on June 24, cautioning against the sale of fake copies of the Class 9 Social Science textbook.
The council advised students, parents and schools to purchase original NCERT books only from NCERT regional sales centres, its official website and authorised vendors.
According to the vendor list issued by NCERT, 518 vendors across the country are authorised to sell its textbooks, including 16 vendors in Odisha.
Fake books found in Balasore
A check of textbooks at several bookshops in Balasore city reportedly revealed further discrepancies. Different copies of what appeared to be the same NCERT textbook were found with varying numbers of pages-
some had 248 pages, others 220 pages, while some had only 216 pages.
Although the covers looked identical, the contents and page numbers varied between copies.
The development has caused concern because Balasore has several educational institutions using NCERT textbooks, including 12 Adarsha Vidyalayas, two Kendriya Vidyalayas, one Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and more than 15 private educational institutions. Thousands of students are therefore potentially affected by the circulation of questionable copies.
Parents demand action against fake publishers
Educationists and parents have demanded a thorough investigation into the circulation of counterfeit NCERT textbooks and strict action against publishers and vendors involved in the practice.
Educationist Dr Pankaj Jena said printing and selling fake NCERT textbooks is an offence and urged authorities to take stringent action against those responsible.
District Parents’ Association co-coordinator Dhiren Kumar Nayak also called for an impartial investigation into the matter.
With examinations approaching, parents and students are now concerned about whether the textbooks they have purchased are genuine. The issue has also raised questions over why stronger enforcement action has not yet been taken against those allegedly circulating counterfeit NCERT books in the market.
