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Indian nursery textbook says 'B is for bomb' | Indian nursery textbook says 'B is for bomb' |
(4 months later) | |
Parents in northern India are demanding to know why their children are being taught about bombs and knives at nursery schools. | Parents in northern India are demanding to know why their children are being taught about bombs and knives at nursery schools. |
They complain that a book on Hindi language alphabets for children aged four to five uses a bomb to illustrate the letter B and chaku (knife) for the letter Ch. | They complain that a book on Hindi language alphabets for children aged four to five uses a bomb to illustrate the letter B and chaku (knife) for the letter Ch. |
Rav Authar Dixit, president of the Parents-Student Welfare Association of Gurukul Academy in Uttar Pradesh state, said on Sunday that the national education board was investigating how such a book was cleared for private nursery schools. | Rav Authar Dixit, president of the Parents-Student Welfare Association of Gurukul Academy in Uttar Pradesh state, said on Sunday that the national education board was investigating how such a book was cleared for private nursery schools. |
Javed Alam, a board official, blamed the book publisher for the lapse. | Javed Alam, a board official, blamed the book publisher for the lapse. |
The Federal Board of Secondary Education issues broad guidelines to state and private schools relating to books, but leaves the content to publishers. It steps in in case of complaints, Alam said. | The Federal Board of Secondary Education issues broad guidelines to state and private schools relating to books, but leaves the content to publishers. It steps in in case of complaints, Alam said. |
"It is the responsibility of the education board to provide clean books to the students," Dixit said. | "It is the responsibility of the education board to provide clean books to the students," Dixit said. |
The publisher could not be immediately reached for comment. | The publisher could not be immediately reached for comment. |
"Children have an impressionable mind. If students are taught about bombs and knives at this stage this would develop a negative mindset for them," Ananya Tiwari, a child psychologist, said in Lucknow, the state capital. | "Children have an impressionable mind. If students are taught about bombs and knives at this stage this would develop a negative mindset for them," Ananya Tiwari, a child psychologist, said in Lucknow, the state capital. |
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