Pune: Educationists and activists have welcomed the move of Balbharati to uphold gender equality by excluding visual representations of gender stereotypes from school textbooks.
To do away with gender stereotyping in school textbooks in the State, the Balbharati has changed many of its visual representations of gender roles. While most have grown up looking at pictures of mothers cooking and fathers reading a newspaper, the new curriculum textbooks of class II have excluded such illustrations.
While activists have welcomed the initiative, they have asserted that more needs to be done to make the textbooks truly inclusive.
“Along with homes, schools have a big role in determining how the personalities and perception of children develop. Moreover, visual representation has a huge impact on the minds of children. We had been pressing for school education to be free of these gender stereotypes for a long time,” said women’s rights activist Kiran Moghe.
Long way ahead
However, Manisha Gupte of Mahila Sarvangeen Utkarsh Mandal (MASUM) said although this is a first step, textbooks need to include more content that promotes equality.
“Along with stories of great men, we need to include more chapters on women scientists, leaders, etc. One common mistake the textbooks make is that a story about an exceptional woman professional, often describes her as a great, loving mother too. These descriptions are usually missing from a story about a great man,” she said.
“We need to teach the children right from a young age, that a woman’s story is worth reading, irrespective of her being a loving mother,” Gupte said.
She said children should also be made to see that interaction between two genders can be normal, friendly, and need not be romantic.
“Boys and girls should not be segregated in the classrooms, instead they need to be made to sit together,” she said.
Textbooks should be more inclusive
Speaking to Sakal Times, education expert Geeta Mahashabde welcomed the decision to drop stereotyped gender roles in textbooks.
However, more efforts are needed to ensure that children from all social classes feel the textbook belongs to them too.
“Stereotypes are of several kinds. Most of the visual representations are those of middle class families. Since all kinds of children go to school, there must be representation of backward classes too, like those from labourers’ families. Hardly ever do we find a representation of Muslim families. Now the Balbharati should consider a more inclusive visual content,” Mahashabde added.
