Berhampur: Academics and social activists on Wednesday urged the govt to ensure error-free Braille textbooks for visually impaired students after large-scale mistakes were found in the newly introduced Odia textbooks for classes I to VIII.The state-run computerised Braille press in Berhampur, the only such govt facility, is printing Braille textbooks for classes I to VIII for visually impaired students. The press converts soft copies into Braille after receiving orders from the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA).“We have urged OSEPA to provide corrected textbooks to the Braille press urgently so that students can get the Braille books by the end of next month,” said Harish Chandra Nayak, a visually impaired person and member of Utkal Drustihina Seva Parishad.Nibin Setapathy, former principal of Red Cross School for the Blind, said the press prints whatever content OSEPA supplies. “OSEPA has already placed orders, probably with the same error-ridden Odia textbooks. It should immediately stop Braille printing of the faulty books,” Setapathy said.OSEPA has ordered around 10,000 Braille copies of 52 titles for classes I to VIII. District social security officer Krishna Chandra Behera said the press is converting the textbooks provided by OSEPA and has not received any instruction to stop printing. “We will take steps after getting an order,” Behera said.Braille press manager Prakash Narayan Rath said around 60% of the books have already been printed and the press is targeting completion of major titles by the end of July. “It will be difficult to reprint the same in Braille after correction,” Rath added.
