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Source: ESPN
Textbooks must not include offensive issues
EDUCATIONISTS and rights activists have called for immediately dropping two chapters from the Home Economics textbook for Secondary School Students as they fear those will provoke racism and have adverse impact on the pupils. They say inclusion of such topics in textbooks is unexpected, offensive and akin to crime as those suggest selecting colour and design of dress depending on body shape and complexion.
The Home Economics textbooks for grade IX and X female students published by National Curriculum and Textbook Board titled ‘Poshaker Shilpa Upadan O Shilpaniti’ and ‘Poshaker Jatna O Paripatyata’ read that white girls can wear dress with any colour or design but girls of dark complexion should wear light coloured dresses so that they look brighter. The book also set certain do’s and don’ts for girls with different facial and body shape. And it refers girls with oval shaped face and slim figures as ideal and suggests any colour or design for them. For others, the text suggests to be selective.
It beggars the imagination that textbooks would suggest that being light is attractive. Our society, and indeed almost all of South and East Asian society, has a fixation on light skin colour. Girls are made to believe that being any other colour is unacceptable, hence the reason for the existence of the multi-million dollar skin lightening cream industry. But this has the adverse effect of making girls who are not of fair complexion feel socially awkward, as they are given the idea by their relatives, parents, and even the media that they would get better acceptability, if only they had fair complexion.
Adding insult to injury they can now look at textbooks which will basically parrot the same things which their companions have been stating. The psychological pressure on girls to conform to such idea will be immense. Such opinions will have an adverse impact on every single girl who does not have fair complexion. These kind of topics shall not find place in the textbooks.
The Home Economics textbooks for grade IX and X female students published by National Curriculum and Textbook Board titled ‘Poshaker Shilpa Upadan O Shilpaniti’ and ‘Poshaker Jatna O Paripatyata’ read that white girls can wear dress with any colour or design but girls of dark complexion should wear light coloured dresses so that they look brighter. The book also set certain do’s and don’ts for girls with different facial and body shape. And it refers girls with oval shaped face and slim figures as ideal and suggests any colour or design for them. For others, the text suggests to be selective.
It beggars the imagination that textbooks would suggest that being light is attractive. Our society, and indeed almost all of South and East Asian society, has a fixation on light skin colour. Girls are made to believe that being any other colour is unacceptable, hence the reason for the existence of the multi-million dollar skin lightening cream industry. But this has the adverse effect of making girls who are not of fair complexion feel socially awkward, as they are given the idea by their relatives, parents, and even the media that they would get better acceptability, if only they had fair complexion.
Adding insult to injury they can now look at textbooks which will basically parrot the same things which their companions have been stating. The psychological pressure on girls to conform to such idea will be immense. Such opinions will have an adverse impact on every single girl who does not have fair complexion. These kind of topics shall not find place in the textbooks.
