SHOCKING LESSONS IN INDIAN TEXTBOOKS
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Purvaja Sawant
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Sexist remarks, `killer'
science experiments, incorrect historical accounts and more -these
embarrassing mistakes in school textbooks will make you roll your eyes!
Recently, social media broke
into an outrage after it came to light that Maharashtra Board's Class
XII sociology textbook lists `ugliness and handicap' among the main
reasons why Indian parents have to shell out a higher dowry to get their
daughters married. What
offended people was the sitive manner in which the topic has been
discussed. The controversial paragraph in Chapter 3 of the book reads,
“If a girl is ugly and handicapped, it becomes very difficult for her to
get married.To marry her, the girl's bridegroom and his family demand
more
dowry . The helpless parents of such girls are then forced to pay up.“
The text also drew criticism from professors, who believe that such
topics need to be handled with sensitivity as youngsters are
impressionable.Education Minister Vinod Tawde told TOI, “The content in
the syllabus is old; the textbook has been around for three years. I
think the academic board has tried to reflect the social reality in this
chapter. However, we will review it and send suggestions to the Board.“
Meanwhile, an MLA from Rajasthan has now proposed to amend the historical `Battle of Haldighati' in university textbooks by declaring that the 1576 war was won by Maharana Pratap and not Akbar. Historians, however, maintain that the latter did win the war! These aren't just stray cases of textbooks misinterpreting history or promoting patriarchy . In the past too, there have been instances when school curriculum across states came under the scanner for their bizarre content...
`SUFFOCATE YOUR KITTEN' EXPERIMENT
Just last week, a Class IV environmental textbook followed by many Delhi schools caused a furore because it instructed students to kill a kitten as part of an experiment! In one of the chapters in the book Our Green World; Environment Studies, students are asked to place a kitten in an unventilated box and wait for it to die -to demonstrate that living beings cannot live without air. “No living thing can live without air for more than a few minutes.You can do an experiment.Take two wooden boxes. Make holes on the lid of one box. Put a small kitten in each box.Close the boxes. After some time, open the boxes. What do you see? The kitten inside the box without holes has died,“ reads the text. After enraged parents brought this to the notice of school authorities, teachers have now started to omit the chapter in class. In fact, Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) is also protesting against the publishers of the book.
WHEN ARUNACHAL PRADESH BECAME A PART OF CHINA
The Maharashtra State Board courted controversy in 2013 when a geography textbook for Class X students didn't show Arunachal Pradesh as a part o India in its map. The erro appeared in the chapter, India And Its Neighbouring Countries. This implied tha the state was a part of China and given the history between the two countries this was a big blunder. The Board apologised for the mistake and took action against those who were responsible for printing it.
REIMAGINING HISTORY!
In 2014, parents and children in Gujarat raised objections after they noticed a series of mistakes published in a Class VII social science textbook commissioned by the government for state-run schools.According to the book, Japan dropped a nuclear bomb on the US during World War II! The same textbook also got Mahatma Gandhi's assassination date incorrect.
DONKEYS ARE BETTER THAN HOUSEWIVES
Rajasthan Education Board was criticised after a Class IX Hindi textbook compared a housewife to a donkey . The chapter contained the following objectionable content -“A donkey is like a housewife. It has to toil all day and, like her, may even have to give up food and water. In fact, the donkey is a shade better, for while the housewife may sometimes complain and walk off to her parents' home, you'll never catch the donkey being disloyal to his master.“ State education board director of publications and academics AR Khan said the comparison was made in good humour. The chapter was eventually removed.
WORKING INDIAN WOMEN ARE THE REASON FOR UNEMPLOYMENT
At least that's what a Class X social science textbook, published by Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education, suggested in 2015! In one of its chapters, it explains that percentage of unemployment after Independence has increased as more women have started working. “Before Independence, few women were employed. But today , women are employed in all sectors that has increased the proportion of unemployment among men,“ it read.The controversial chapter, which was there since 2008, was removed from the books in 2016, as it reflected sexist views.
MEAT-EATERS COMMIT SEX CRIMES
Four years ago, a study book on hygiene and sex education for pre-teens made the following observation about nonvegetarians in one of its chapters -“They (meateaters) easily cheat, tell lies, forget promises, they are dishonest and tell bad words, steal, fight and turn to violence and commit sex crimes.“ The chapter also refers to Eskimos (Inuit) as `lazy, sluggish and short-lived' because they live on `a diet largely of meat'. It further stated, “The Arabs who helped in constructing the Suez Canal lived on wheat and dates and were superior to the beef-fed Englishmen engaged in the same work.“ Because of the heated debate surrounding the patronising chapter, the publishers released a statement condemning the material, noting that `the matter is regrettable and the book has since been withdrawn.'
Meanwhile, an MLA from Rajasthan has now proposed to amend the historical `Battle of Haldighati' in university textbooks by declaring that the 1576 war was won by Maharana Pratap and not Akbar. Historians, however, maintain that the latter did win the war! These aren't just stray cases of textbooks misinterpreting history or promoting patriarchy . In the past too, there have been instances when school curriculum across states came under the scanner for their bizarre content...
`SUFFOCATE YOUR KITTEN' EXPERIMENT
Just last week, a Class IV environmental textbook followed by many Delhi schools caused a furore because it instructed students to kill a kitten as part of an experiment! In one of the chapters in the book Our Green World; Environment Studies, students are asked to place a kitten in an unventilated box and wait for it to die -to demonstrate that living beings cannot live without air. “No living thing can live without air for more than a few minutes.You can do an experiment.Take two wooden boxes. Make holes on the lid of one box. Put a small kitten in each box.Close the boxes. After some time, open the boxes. What do you see? The kitten inside the box without holes has died,“ reads the text. After enraged parents brought this to the notice of school authorities, teachers have now started to omit the chapter in class. In fact, Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) is also protesting against the publishers of the book.
WHEN ARUNACHAL PRADESH BECAME A PART OF CHINA
The Maharashtra State Board courted controversy in 2013 when a geography textbook for Class X students didn't show Arunachal Pradesh as a part o India in its map. The erro appeared in the chapter, India And Its Neighbouring Countries. This implied tha the state was a part of China and given the history between the two countries this was a big blunder. The Board apologised for the mistake and took action against those who were responsible for printing it.
REIMAGINING HISTORY!
In 2014, parents and children in Gujarat raised objections after they noticed a series of mistakes published in a Class VII social science textbook commissioned by the government for state-run schools.According to the book, Japan dropped a nuclear bomb on the US during World War II! The same textbook also got Mahatma Gandhi's assassination date incorrect.
DONKEYS ARE BETTER THAN HOUSEWIVES
Rajasthan Education Board was criticised after a Class IX Hindi textbook compared a housewife to a donkey . The chapter contained the following objectionable content -“A donkey is like a housewife. It has to toil all day and, like her, may even have to give up food and water. In fact, the donkey is a shade better, for while the housewife may sometimes complain and walk off to her parents' home, you'll never catch the donkey being disloyal to his master.“ State education board director of publications and academics AR Khan said the comparison was made in good humour. The chapter was eventually removed.
WORKING INDIAN WOMEN ARE THE REASON FOR UNEMPLOYMENT
At least that's what a Class X social science textbook, published by Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education, suggested in 2015! In one of its chapters, it explains that percentage of unemployment after Independence has increased as more women have started working. “Before Independence, few women were employed. But today , women are employed in all sectors that has increased the proportion of unemployment among men,“ it read.The controversial chapter, which was there since 2008, was removed from the books in 2016, as it reflected sexist views.
MEAT-EATERS COMMIT SEX CRIMES
Four years ago, a study book on hygiene and sex education for pre-teens made the following observation about nonvegetarians in one of its chapters -“They (meateaters) easily cheat, tell lies, forget promises, they are dishonest and tell bad words, steal, fight and turn to violence and commit sex crimes.“ The chapter also refers to Eskimos (Inuit) as `lazy, sluggish and short-lived' because they live on `a diet largely of meat'. It further stated, “The Arabs who helped in constructing the Suez Canal lived on wheat and dates and were superior to the beef-fed Englishmen engaged in the same work.“ Because of the heated debate surrounding the patronising chapter, the publishers released a statement condemning the material, noting that `the matter is regrettable and the book has since been withdrawn.'
Source:Feb 15 2017
:
The Times of India
(Navi Mumbai)
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