It's 'B for bom', 'C for chaku' in UP text books

Glaring anomalies in some text books used in schools under the state board and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in Uttar Pradesh have triggered a furore among parents and teachers.

While Hindi text book titled “Aalok Shabd” by Prism Publishing House says “b (the 23rd alphabet) for bomb” and “ch (the sixth Hindi alphabet) for chaku,” a moral education book titled “New Way Bloom” by Gurukul Publications for class-VIII students has got the colour sequence of the national flag all wrong.

Bal Mukund, a district education official in Moradabad said “it is a serious offence and action will be taken against the publishers.”

When contacted, the New Delhi-based publisher of “New Way Bloom” said the book will be withdrawn from market with immediate effect. “This is indeed a big blunder on our part,”  said Ankur Julka of Gurukul Publications.

“We had outsourced the book designing to Book Zone in Uttam Nagar, New Delhi, and due to an oversight, missed such a glaring mistake,” he added.

Although there are several error-free books in the market, the schools prescribe books on which they receive hefty commissions from the publishers, sources said.

The CBSE officials were also taken by surprise as the board strictly disallows use of “words that patronise and promote hatred, violence and negative mindset” in its books. CBSE city coordinator Javed Alam said strict action would be taken against the publishers of “Aalok Shabd.” “This sort of negative use of words cannot be tolerated,” he said.

The striking blunders have attracted adverse reactions from parents and teachers.
“Children considers as truth whatever is taught to them. They must not be taught in such a way that they consider something wrong as good,” said Dinesh Kumar, former faculty member of the Lucknow University.

The education officials, on their part, either feigned ignorance or promised to investigate into the matter. “Schools should ensure that violent words are not included in the syllabus. Such teaching might encourage violence among the children,” an education official said.