New Delhi: Move over fairness cream and matrimonial advertisements, the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) has introduced a new set of textbooks for students of Grade 12, which suggest that a “beautiful complexion and good height” are the pre-requisites of becoming a good entrepreneur.
The chapter on Skill Development lists the “physical attributes” desirable in an entrepreneur, including “Uttam swasthya, prabhavshali vyaktitva, acchi unchai, sundar rang, shaleenta, gambhirta (perfect health, impressive personality, good height, beautiful complexion, sobriety, seriousness).”
Titled ‘Samajopayogi Yojanayein’ (socially-relevant schemes), the new textbooks also list out flagship schemes of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments at the central and state levels.
The textbooks instruct students to “internalise each word” of Modi’s ‘Swacch Bharat’ (Clean India) pledge.
“Repeat the pledge delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to all citizens of the country on 2nd October 2014 and internalise its every word,” the chapter says.
Social activists have slammed the move by RBSE.
“This kind of a thing has never happened before. Earlier, there used to be small boxes or references on social schemes like Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in textbooks introduced by the Rajasthan Education Board but entire textbooks detailing government schemes and physical attributes of a successful entrepreneur is a blatant first,” Jaipur-based social activist Anup Kumar told Gulf News.
The Opposition Congress also attacked the BJP government on the issue.
“The textbooks are dedicated to key central and state government schemes, and focus mainly on announcements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is unbelievable. In the recent past, the BJP government has altered and removed important historical facts from textbooks. Now they have stooped to the level of using school education as a platform for BJP propaganda,” Congress state president Sachin Pilot told media.
However, the state government has defended the decision.
“It was being felt that existing schoolbooks had inadequate Rajasthani content. That is why these changes were introduced. Still, about 70 per cent of the syllabus is based on National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) curriculum, only 30 per cent is focused locally,” chairman of Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education BL Chaudhary told Gulf News.
Earlier, a physical education textbook introduced by the Board for Grade 12 defined ‘36-24-36’ as the “best body shape for females”. A police report was later registered against the publisher and author.
