Balbharti corrects 120 errors in Class 11 Biology textbook

After more than four months of the new academic year, Balbharti, the state education department’s publishing bureau, has fixed over 120 errors in its Class 11 Biology

After more than four months of the new academic year, Balbharti, the state education department’s publishing bureau, has fixed over 120 errors in its Class 11 Biology textbook. The textbook came into the markets in June after the syllabus for the class was revised.

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In a 13-page long document released on December 12, the education board has asked junior colleges to make note of the corrections and instruct students to do the same. The move comes after Pune-based educationist Hemlata Sane, former head of botany at Abasaheb Garware College in Pune, had sent a 35-paged letter to the bureau first in July and then in August, pointing out factual and grammatical errors in textbooks.

“We had convened a meeting of the board of studies for the subject in which a review was taken of the textbook. The experts found that many errors did exist in the textbook and the majority of them were grammatical. Thus, a document on the corrections has been uploaded on the website. These changes will be reflected in upcoming editions,” said Vivek Gosavi, director, Balbharti.

Some of the corrections include changes in factual matter and the technical terms used. For instance, in the chapter on respiration and transmission, the textbook read, “Anaerobic respiration is the cellular respiration that does not involve oxygen at all,” which has been corrected to read “Anaerobic respiration is the cellular respiration that does not involve atmospheric oxygen.” Several images and diagrams like those related to the cell cycle, the structure of a leaf and the circulatory system have been corrected. In addition to these, at least 100 grammatical errors have been corrected.

Sane said that she has not seen the document with corrections, but she had concerns about the textbook committee’s working process. “How did they allow so many errors to take place in the first place? How is it that not a single person from the expert committee noticed this till I brought it to their notice?” she said.

Gosavi said the board has now appointed two proof-readers on a contractual basis. “We want to ensure such mistakes do not happen again and have thus appointed these people,” he said.

Meanwhile, teachers said they had already pointed out a few errors as the circular came in late. “Even students would tell us these mistakes as there were some glaring ones which cannot be ignored. The board should be more careful about appointing people from now on,” said a teacher at a college in Vile Parle.