File Photo of Union Education Minister Smriti Irani.
Education Minister Smriti Irani today received an apology from the national school board over spelling mistakes in a letter sent on her behalf, which was flagged by a teacher and derided on social media.
"Inconvenience caused due to the errors is deeply regretted," Joseph Emmanuel, the Secretary of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), wrote in a letter to the minister.
The words "minister" and "sansadhan (resources)" were spelt incorrectly in the letter that was sent by the CBSE in Ms Irani's name to schoolteachers across the country, congratulating them on the performance of their students.
A teacher from Chhattisgarh responded with a "thanks" - and some advice.
Highlighting the errors in a Facebook post, Richa Kumar of the Delhi Public School wrote: "Thank you for congratulating me on the excellence I exemplify. However, having been a teacher for the last twenty years, your official letter head is an affront to my sensibilities as a Language teacher. The attached photographs are self explanatory. Please ensure that at least the people who work for you, in your ministry, are well educated."
In response to the post, which has been liked by over 80 people and has nearly 800 shares, Smriti Irani asked CBSE for an explanation.
Rattled by comments on twitter, Ms Irani said: "I would not misspell my own name in Hindi."
Citing "oversight during proof reading", CBSE said it would send fresh letters to teachers and principals, along with an apology.