GS Paper I
News Excerpt:
The Kerala government has introduced, revised and updated school textbooks, aiming to instil the concept of a gender-neutral society in young minds.
More about the news:
- Gender-neutral textbooks are one among the many changes introduced by the Kerala government in the textbooks for Classes 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, as it aims to shatter patriarchal gender norms.
- Earlier this year, a gender-sensitive curriculum for lower and middle schools was also announced in the state, emphasizing principles of equality and justice.
- The curriculum encompasses teachings on POCSO rules, democratic values, secularism, and scientific thinking.
- The changes are part of the Kerala government's proposed reforms in 2022 to promote gender awareness, gender neutrality, and gender justice in the education sector.
What are some of the changes introduced?
- Pictorial representations showing fathers/men involved in cooking and kitchen chores like grating coconut, cooking snacks for their daughters etc.
- The English textbook has an image of a father cooking snacks for his daughter.
- The Malayalam textbook for Class III depicts a father sitting on the floor grating coconut while the mother is shown cooking dishes.
- The textbook also illustrates three girls playing football, a game conventionally played by men.
- The social science textbook for Class 5 tells the story of Neenu, a girl with a disability who uses a wheelchair, portraying her as empowered and not discriminated against.
- Neenu is shown traveling and visiting her friend's village like her other friends, promoting inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Objectives of the gender neutral textbooks:
- They aim to introduce concepts of gender neutrality and equality at a young age to impact thought processes of children.
- These changes challenge traditional gender roles where such household duties were seen as solely the responsibility of women.
- The new content gives the message that cooking, household duties are the collective responsibility of both fathers and mothers.
- They also send a message that children can aspire for any career, regardless of gender.
- Questions initiate discussions on unpaid labor at home and conventional gender roles that need to change.
- The portrayal of Neenu aims to break attitudinal barriers and stigma around disabilities. It sends a message that persons with disabilities should have an accessible and disability-friendly environment to navigate.
Significance of the gender-neutral textbooks:
- The portrayal of reimagined gender roles, conveys to children that domestic responsibilities like cooking are not exclusive to one gender but are shared by both parents.
- They sensitize language and conversations by using gender-neutral pronouns like "they/them" instead of "he/she", and portraying characters beyond conventional gender norms (e.g., a girl wanting to be a fighter pilot).
- They help widen children's horizons and teach them to respect and accept people across the gender spectrum.
Gender Neutrality beyond-textbooks:
- In addition to textbook revisions, several state-run schools in Kerala have introduced gender-neutral uniforms, marking a departure from the traditional dichotomy in school attire.
- Traditionally, school uniforms in India have been gender-specific, with girls typically wearing skirts or dresses.
- However, schools in Kerala have embraced a more inclusive approach, adopting uniforms consisting of knee-length pants and shirts for all students.
- Furthermore, Kerala’s commitment to gender neutrality extends beyond attire. In a landmark move, the state child rights panel directed schools to phase out single-gender institutions, promoting co-education.
- Additionally, efforts to replace traditional honorifics like ‘sir’ and ‘madam’ with the universal term ‘teacher’ have been explored, albeit with varying degrees of implementation.
