After ‘ugly girls’ gaffe, state to rejig textbook panels

FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS, THE BOARDS HAVE DRAWN FLAK FOR GAFFES IN SOCIAL STUDIES TEXTBOOKS

An insensitive remark in the Class 12 sociology textbook — that parents of ‘ugly’ girls pay dowry — has prompted the Maharashtra government to be more careful while publishing books for the new academic session.

The state’s education department has decided to scrap most of the existing boards of studies or Abhyas Mandals, the body in-charge of developing syllabus and textbooks, and replace them with new members.

Every subject has a board of studies consisting of academicians proficient in it.

Their job is to find authors to write textbooks, produce and proof-read content. They bring out books in English and Marathi.

For the past five years, the boards have drawn flak for repeatedly making glaring and embarrassing gaffes in the social studies textbooks.

In February, academicians pointed out that the sociology textbook of the Maharashtra state board, which students use to prepare for the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exam, lists ‘ugliness of the girl’ as one of the reasons for dowry, a major social problem in India.

As a result, the department is planning to suspend the existing panels and appoint new members.

“We are going to change these bodies partly so that there is continuous improvement in the systems,” said Nand Kumar, principal secretary of the education department.