Are India’s new school textbooks a study in partisanship?
NEW DELHI— New school textbooks in India promoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship policies have prompted fresh criticism that the government is using the education system to further his political agenda.
An analysis of 25 textbooks by the Indian Express newspaper found examples of newly inserted paragraphs casting Modi’s policies in a positive light, including programs like “demonetizing” that wiped out more than 85 per cent of India’s cash or one to educate girls, which has been criticized for lack of funding.
Critics maintain the changes to the textbooks are unbalanced and could skew children’s perceptions of politics and current events.
Modi’s government has been repeatedly criticized for being too image conscious and curbing freedom of the press, only giving scripted interviews to news organizations, and spending $638 million (U.S.) on publicity, including huge sums on newspaper advertisements and celebrity-studded television spots.
“It is not an honest way to make changes,” said Ambarish Rai, of India’s Right to Education Campaign. “If you’re putting in these things, you have to put in all the implications. This is only for publicity.”
Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been criticized in the past for pushing its agenda in textbooks in the states it controls. In Rajasthan and Guja- rat, in particular, textbooks have been changed in the past two years to include Hindu nationalist icons and minimize contributions of Muslims in India.
The Express report said that many of the changes promoted Modi’s Clean India initiative, including in a Grade 7 textbook. The Clean India mission has received international plaudits for the speed at which the government has installed millions of toilets in Indian homes — but has also been widely criticized for the harsh tactics the government uses to get people to stop defecating outside and use toilets instead.
In a Grade 9 English textbook chapter where students are asked to imagine and write creatively about a future world without schools and books, Modi’s Digital India program to digitize payments is prominently featured.
AGrade10 economics textbook includes a paragraph about his demonetization program and the government’s push toward digital payments, but does not mention the chaos that followed the announcement to replace 80 per cent of India’s cash, leading to long lines outside banks for months and huge losses for small businesses.