Aazan Manzoor
Srinagar, Feb 16: The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) continues to remain in the headlines, from a shortage of textbooks and denial of Class 10 examination forms to now making mistakes in textbooks, highlighting negligence on the board’s part.
Public outcry erupted after a social media user posted a video on X showing a JKBOSE Class 5 Economics textbook, Disaster Management and Road Safety Education, containing a misprinted sentence: “Unconsciousness or fainting is a UT of Human body.” The correct sentence should have been: “State of Human Body.”
Following this, people took to social media to criticize JKBOSE’s carelessness, pointing out the apparent lack of proper textbook review.
The mistake was not limited to a single occurrence. On page 29, the same incorrect phrase appeared in two other places within the textbook.
On the next page, the book states that this “UT” (which was mistakenly printed instead of “state”) can lead to the victim’s death if immediate first aid is not provided. In the following line, the word “UT” is repeated instead of “state.”
The textbooks are also available for students on the Board’s official website with the same mistakes.
Many social media users expressed their disappointment and frustration over such errors in school textbooks.
One social media user, Umar Arfiq Mir, reacting to the mistake, wrote on X: “Should we laugh or cry? We don’t understand. It feels like we are falling into a well where there is no way to climb back up… May Allah have mercy on all of us.”
Another user, likely a student, Murtaza Mushtaq, wrote: “Yes, this is the one. I also have an older 10th-grade textbook, and I am currently in 10th grade. I’ve noticed multiple mistakes in the new SST book, but they are correct in my previous edition. These errors appear in various chapters.”
Another user, Samit Bhat, expressed concern over the work ethic of officials, writing: “No one nowadays is willing to discharge their duties as designated. Most keep cribbing only but never give 8 hours of focused time that they are paid for.”
Meanwhile, MLA Pulwama Waheed-ur-Rehman Para also reacted to the issue, writing on X: “State of Affairs,” with a video attached.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Naeem Akhtar also commented on the matter. While taking to X, he shared the video and wrote: “UT of affairs. Listen to this short video. State is downgraded to UT, and so is the English language in our BOSE books prescribed for school. It’s a Tragicomedy that we are living.”
The textbook errors have once again put JKBOSE under scrutiny, with social media users and political figures questioning the board’s credibility and its responsibility in ensuring error-free educational material.
It is important to note that JKBOSE has an editorial board responsible for proofreading content before textbooks are sent for printing. However, despite this, the textbook was approved without proper proofreading, raising questions about the board’s review process. (JKNS)
