Fourth time, wrong map in school books
MUMBAI: For the fourth year in a row, the Maharashtra government has printed incorrect maps of India, this time in the textbooks for classes 7 and 9. The textbooks display maps that appear to be hand drawn and outline Gujarat, Kashmir and Mizoram wrongly.
Narendra Tamboli, a retired teacher from Ahmednagar, and VidyadharAmrute, aresidentof Mumbai, on Tuesday complained about the error to the Survey of India, Dehradun, which has pulled up the state in the past for showing Arunachal Pradesh as part of China, some part of Gujarat in Pakistan and other errors. One of the maps in the textbooks shows Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka under water, while an entire chunk of Gujarat close to the border is missing in another.
Tamboli said Asia’s terrain is incorrect in one map, which is misleading. “It is surprising that similar mistakes were made by the state this year, even though they were reprimanded by the Survey of India couple of years ago,” Tamboli said.
Since 2013, every year experts are pointing out embarrassing mistakes in the textbooks used by more than 17 lakh students.
“Maps are crucial for students’ understanding. They help them visualise concepts,” said Amrute.
Before writing to the Survey of India, Tamboli had approached the state’s textbook publishing bureau, but his complaint fell on deaf ears.
“We don’t take complaints from individuals. Everyone has their own opinion and interpretation of the maps,” said Sunil Magar, director, Balbharti.