Gujju Monkey brigade needs lesson in PR
- From: "Morar" <mortayee@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 31 Jul 2005 14:20:16 -0700
Apart from being insensitive and stupid, it is one of the biggest own
goal. No wonder Modi the baffoon was denied entry to US.
History textbooks turn toxic
TINA PAREKH & PRASHANT RUPERA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2005 08:50:20 PM ]
Surf 'N' Earn - Sign in now
AHMEDABAD/VADODARA: Why are parents in Gujarat fuming? The answer lies
in textbooks that - despite being full of distortions and language
errors - are being taught across the state's classrooms. They say,
these books are clearly not teaching students history.
So, Bhaven Patel, father of a class IX student in Ahmedabad, is not
amused. As the state education department refuses to withdraw the class
IX social sciences textbook, ridden with errors and misrepresentations,
he feels it will leave a wrong impact on impressionable minds.
If the book is in circulation this year without any corrections being
incorporated, similar mistakes found in class X social studies book
last year had evoked the same response from the government - just a
corrigendum circulated among schools while the book continued to be
taught.
"These young minds are imbibing a distorted and wrong version of
history and it will forever remain embedded in their memory. They need
to be taught the right things at the right time. At this stage, when
schools have begun teaching from such books, the damage has already
been done," says Patel.
Like Patel, many parents say there is no reason why the textbook board
cannot withdraw such error-ridden books. "Students have to be told what
is correct and what is not.
Unless mistakes in the textbooks are pointed out to them, they will
never know history the way it is. If such books continue to be taught
in classrooms, we will be cheating our children," says mother of a
class X student, Heena Chaudhary.
Hinting at the glorification of Hitler in the textbook, Patel adds that
such misrepresentation is an insult to history. "It is a great
injustice to those who have fought against such evil. The textbook
board must make amendments soon," he says.
Vadodara-based businessman Pankaj Parikh, too, is agitated.
Parikh,whose son Niral is a class IX student, wants the state
government to have the chapters glorifying Hitler replaced and a new
textbook circulated.
"No parent would like his child to learn history in a distorted form.
If the government tampers with historical facts, no parent or student
would consider textbooks to be sacrosanct and authentic," says Parikh.
Adds GD Karhadkar, teacher at the MS University's mechanical department
and parent of Abhidnya, a standard IX student: "The books should take
an objective view of history. Today, students have access to other
educational media like the Internet and television channels and will
not swallow such distortions.
They will begin suspecting what's in their books and those publishing
such books will lose credibility."
Karhadkar feels the government should rope in eminent historians and
social scientists with proven credentials to make revisions in the
book.
.
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: Gujju Monkey brigade needs lesson in PR
- From: Pete
- Re: Gujju Monkey brigade needs lesson in PR
- Prev by Date: For patronage and ego Italiano to destroy nascent Indian economy
- Next by Date: Re: No drains so $1bn go down the drain in Maharashtra
- Previous by thread: For patronage and ego Italiano to destroy nascent Indian economy
- Next by thread: Re: Gujju Monkey brigade needs lesson in PR
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
