The press conference held highlighting printing errors in the Grade 1 module and the responses it received.

The Bahujana Balaya organization has pointed out that there are several printing errors in the Grade 1 English subject module released under the new education reform process. Joining a press conference held yesterday (30), the organization stated that due to these shortcomings, the module is unsuitable for children's use.

Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Chamara Wijesuriya stated that there is a discrepancy in the diagrams and descriptions under the "Activity 43 B" section of the module. He specifically pointed out that the photographs related to Dawatagaha Church and Nallur Kovil have been swapped and printed. Furthermore, he emphasized that under the "Activity 16 C" section, when introducing family members, using a female image for the word "Grandfather" and a male image for the word "Grandmother" would confuse children.

However, with the dissemination of this news through the media, strong opposition has emerged from social media users. The majority have pointed out that printing errors have occurred in textbooks and even examination papers since ancient times, and that teachers correcting them in the classroom and teaching is the normal procedure. Holding media shows based on minor printing errors and media institutions giving publicity to them have been severely criticized by social media users.

The vast majority of people who commented on social media regarding the press conference that highlighted errors in textbooks released under the new education reforms have strongly rejected the criticism. Many have argued that this is merely a printing mistake and not a human brain error, stating that holding media shows based on such minor errors is an unnecessary act. They point out that errors have existed in school textbooks, as well as in critical examination papers like G.C.E. Ordinary Level and Advanced Level, since ancient times, and that no such press conferences were held back then.

The main argument of many social media users has been that there is a teacher in the classroom to correct these errors. They express confidence that Grade 1 children do not use these books independently, and teachers will correct the relevant mistakes and provide children with proper understanding. Some comments state that issues like swapped images of grandfather and grandmother or swapped images of sacred places are simple errors that even children can easily identify, and they do not significantly impact children's minds.

Strong opposition and humorous responses targeting those who held the press conference are also widely seen among these comments. Many accuse the group of exaggerating such a minor error into a large-scale national problem either because they have no other work or with the aim of gaining publicity. Severe verbal attacks have been launched, calling this group uneducated and suggesting they have less intelligence than small children. The majority opinion is that the error can be corrected in the next print run, and until then, teaching activities can proceed without interruption with the intervention of teachers.

Furthermore, this incident is also seen being interpreted from a political angle. While one party accuses a group of trying to cover up the mistakes of the current government or system (whitewashing), the other party states that the opposition or other political groups are clinging to such minor issues because they have no other point to criticize the government. However, overall, the general public opinion is that these errors will not cause serious harm to children's education, and this is not a newsworthy item valuable enough to be brought before the media.