Bhubaneswar, Jul 28: The process to correct errors in Odisha's Class I to VIII school textbooks has entered a new phase, with the tender submission deadline now over. According to the tender notice, bids were scheduled to be opened on Monday at 11:30 a.m. in the presence of the bidders. However, sources said only a handful of agencies participated in the bidding process, with the number of applicants reportedly remaining below ten. Officials believe the stringent eligibility criteria laid down by the Directorate of Teacher Education and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), along with the government's strict accountability measures, discouraged many potential bidders.

Unlike previous years, SCERT has decided to directly handle the desktop publishing (DTP) and designing work for the textbooks. Earlier, these responsibilities were assigned to the Odisha State Bureau of Textbook Preparation and Production. However, after this year's textbooks were found to contain a large number of spelling and printing errors, SCERT reportedly lost confidence in the state-run agency and floated a separate tender to rectify the mistakes.

Sources revealed that only three firms submitted bids for the assignment. Of these, two were rejected for failing to meet the prescribed eligibility criteria and documentation requirements. Only one private firm remains under consideration. However, there has been no official confirmation from SCERT or the School and Mass Education Department regarding whether any bidder or representative attended the bid-opening process.

Officials also expressed concern over the challenging nature of the assignment. They said the selected agency will have to undergo multiple rounds of expert review before the corrected manuscripts receive final approval. The entire process will be monitored by SCERT's Curriculum Development Cell, and payment will be released only after the cell certifies that the corrections have been completed satisfactorily. The tender conditions also make it clear that no advance payment will be provided before the work is completed.

According to officials, the government's tough stance on textbook quality has made many private agencies reluctant to participate, as even minor errors could invite strict action. Questions have also been raised over whether a private agency can ensure error-free corrections after the failure of the government-run textbook publication body.

Officials further indicated that the corrected textbooks are unlikely to reach schools during the current academic year. The revision process is expected to continue until October, after which the government will have to initiate separate tenders for paper procurement and printing. Additional time will also be required for binding and distribution. As a result, the revised textbooks are now expected to be introduced only in the next academic session.