By Anna Lynn Tom
Sociology Standard, a textbook prescribed by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary Education, has ugliness and physical handicap listed as reasons for dowry. The textbook, first printed in 2013, has been authored by six people. Around 2.2 lakh students of the XII standard, who choose Sociology as a subject in the pre-university course has been referring this textbook.
The remark appears in Chapter 3, titled Major Social Problems in India. According to an article in The Hindu, the textbook says, If a girl is ugly and handicapped, then it becomes very difficult for her to get married. To marry such girls, bridegroom and his family demand more dowry. Parents of such girls become helpless and pay dowry as per the demands of the bridegroom as family. It leads to rise in the practice of dowry system.
The ugly face of education
[su_pullquote]Using terms like ugly and handicap are not only socially insensitive but can in no circumstances be considered a reason for the practice of dowry. It is a derogatory term that has the potential to influence impressionable minds of young students.[/su_pullquote]
Legally, dowry as defined under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, is a demand for property or valuable security having an inextricable nexus with the marriage. It is a consideration paid by the brides parents or relatives to the groom or his parents and/or guardian as part of an agreement to wed the bride-to-be. Several other legislations such as the Criminal Procedure Code, Indian Penal Code, Indian Evidence Act and most recently, Prevention of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 comprise provisions to prevent and penalise this social custom.
Textbooks are meant to disseminate factually accurate information to students in the process of learning. Using terms like ugly and handicap are not only socially insensitive but can in no circumstances be considered a reason for the practice of dowry. It is a derogatory term that has the potential to influence impressionable minds of young students. A south Mumbai college teacher seconds this in an interview with the Times of India, These issues are real…It could have been handled far more delicately it is awkward if a student with disabilities is present. Besides teenagers are extremely self-conscious about their image and such content could hurt their confidence.
This content also shows how patriarchal ideas of shallow standards of physical beauty are inculcated in the learning process. It is an attack on the integrity of the student the girl child in particular.
Hemangi Joshi, education manager, Narotam Seksharia Foundation and a member of the Right to Education Forum termed the use of the word ugly as sexist. Sociologist and professor, Nandini Sardesai added that it created a wrong impression in young minds. She also added that those who were involved in formulating the textbook havent imbibed the essence of the subject.
Misogyny gone amok
Authors and planning authorities in the field of education have a moral responsibility to aid students in the learning process and when the issue created controversy, many people issued statements regarding this. Maharashtra Education Minister, Vinod Tawde said he would review the situation, but that politics and school syllabus should not be mixed. Usha Rane, director of training, Pratham NGO, said that since the term was mentioned in a particular context, it could not entirely be seen as sexist.
The kind of impressions textbooks make on students are what shape them as individuals. | Image courtesy: PixabayThis is not the first time that derogatory statements have been printed in school textbooks. In April 2006, the Times of India reported a class IX Hindi textbook as having a sentence that stated, A donkey is like a housewife. This was in Rajasthan. In September 2015, textbooks in Chhattisgarh were reported as quoting working women are one of the causes of unemployment in the country. In July 2016, another Rajasthan textbook for VII standard students had a chapter on a Sindhi poet, Sant Kanwar Ram in which it was said, A womans duty is to follow her man
[su_pullquote align=”right”]In several instances, actual historical and geographical facts are distorted to promote a certain ideology among young students. This poses a serious threat to the idea of free thought in our democratic nation.[/su_pullquote]
Such statements in school textbooks are not isolated examples; they reveal an infinitely more complicated and deep-rooted problem of patriarchy and gender bias. In several instances, actual historical and geographical facts are distorted to promote a certain ideology among young students. This poses a serious threat to the idea of free thought in our democratic nation. Legal measures must, therefore, be instituted to ensure that education boards do not suffer because of lack of responsible leadership. Our focus should be on making learning a wholesome process that remains both factually accurate and open-minded.