Instead of dispelling stereotypes, school officials are repeating old mistakes
The road to gender equality is long and difficult, and despite the fact that each generation has paved the way for the next, the struggle to address inequalities is far from over. Through this arduous journey, the role of the school in sensitizing young minds towards the creation of a non-discriminatory world cannot be underestimated. in this context, A Comprehension Passage in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) English Examination What was held on Saturday for class 10 students should be condemned for its regressive and sexist stand. The road that caused uproar in all sections of society and in Parliament where the Congress President was Sonia Gandhi calls for misogyny, contained derogatory sentences, including one stating that “women who seek freedom are the main cause of a wide variety of social and family problems”. Young influential teenagers, girls and boys, who were already under stress due to the pandemic, did not know how to deal with this question. Another sentence read shockingly “that the wife’s emancipation destroyed the parent’s authority over the children … in bringing the man down from his seat the wife and mother deprive themselves, in fact, of the means of discipline.” Gave”. Several answers to a question asking children to comment on the tone had this option: “The author takes a light-hearted approach to life”. CBSE’s initial reaction was unclear, though the board later said it was dropping the question.
it was finally Forced to express ‘regret’ And it vowed to review its paper setting procedures. Already due to COVID-19, the 2020-21 syllabus for classes 9-12 was shortened by 30% with obvious omissions of core concepts in subjects like Mathematics. From the social sciences and other humanities disciplines, subjects such as federalism, citizenship, nationalism, secularism, democracy and diversity were removed. It will be harder for kids in the real world if they aren’t taught the basics in school, and if they grow up with gender-related concerns, for example. In India, misogyny has long roots. Class, caste, gender inequalities already exist in the school system, worse in the villages and among the urban poor. Many girls are forced to drop out of school for myriad reasons, from lack of toilet facilities in school to forced labor or marriage. If men, as Claudia Goldin puts it in her book, career and family, should start doing what women have always done, provide personal support, lend an ear, and help, education should begin when they are young. Instead of teaching them to break stereotypes, school officials are repeating old mistakes. At a time when it is imperative for the board to lighten the burden of the children, CBSE has given the worst message.
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