Text book controversy

The social science textbook for Std. VII prepared and published by the SCERT has triggered off a controversy with regard to its approach and content. The critics include among themselves politicians and political parties, student’s organisations, heads of religious congregations and youth organisations. It seems that none of them read the text as a whole. Each one of them picks out one sentence or paragraph from the text which he/she fears to be causing or spreading harm to his/her vested interests. There is nothing in common among the critics with regard to the content of the text except that they oppose it on one pretext or other.

The context compels us to pose certain questions to the critics and seek comments from the general public.

Page 24

The parent leaves the option to his son to choose a religion of his choice or to remain secular when he grows up
Is it not a fact that hundreds of children of inter caste and inter – religious married couple study in our schools and the relevant columns of the admission register of the schools remain vacant regarding caste and religious?

Page 24, 25

The passage from Nehru’s “ Will and Testament” contains nothing irreligious or anti-religious. The criticism against the inclusion of this passage reveals the ignorance of the critics about Nehru and Nehruism. Let the critics read Nehru once again and enjoy the beauty of his prose and flagrance of his thoughts.

Page 8 –13

These pages provide the background of the historic ‘Prevention of Land Eviction Act’ passed by the Kerala Legislature in 1957. Nobody can deny the fact that tens of thousands of families benefited out of this Act whose children or members of their families study this text book. It is sure that they will fully endorse its content.

Page 9

The quotation from the autobiography of A.K. Gopalan is given to bring to the notice of the children that the poor peasants and agricultural labourers had suffered a lot and how did it come to an end. The quotation is given not to magnify or deify AK Gopalan but to present before them the reality. A.K. Gopalan is never taught in the schools, though it is not a sin if anybody does so.

Page 18

The extracts from a school register is given. It shows that only the children from forward caste communities were admitted to the school. Leaders of certain forward castes organisations allege that they are being humiliated by it. There is no intention to humiliate anybody but to show that in certain point of time only forward caste people enjoyed the right to education; not only education but to employment also. The critics are reminded of the struggle led by Ayyan Kali to have access to government schools for children of his community and the attitude of the upper caste barons towards it. They are also reminded of the submission of the Malayali Memorial in which the forward and backward communities united themselves against the non-Keralite Brahmins who occupied the key posts in Travancore government. It is also interesting to note the circumstances which led to the submission of the Ezhava memorial. Let us not be angry about the facts in history.

Page 31 – 39

The critics allege that the struggle for independence is not given due weightage. The critics are requested to go through the entire texts on social science prescribed for standards upto X and then find out which portion is left out and suggest which portion ought to have been included. The child is expected to get an overview of the freedom struggle when he completes Std. X.

Let everybody be conscious of the fact that the freedom struggles is a vast ocean, the comprehension of the whole of which is an impossibility in the life span of an individual. Why should we unnecessarily burden a twelve-year-old child with so much of facts and figures.