‘GENDER BIAS’ IN SCHOOL TEXT BOOKS
Curriculum maker must take extra care to ensure that the subject matter selected is out of the bests and the context explained. In case of lesson for example, on scientists selected for teaching only merit must be criteria. No room what so ever shall be allowed for apprehension on the minds of the learners as being gender biased. The teachers must also be trained to handle objective questions from intelligent students. There should annual orientation classes for the Teachers from all school or in the form of guidelines so the there is uniformity in the information given to the students. The students also must be taught that in professional life there is gender, all are equal when it comes to mental work. Teacher should be able to answer the questions like who should work in the kitchen. who should clean the house ? who should draw kolams? who should take care of the children/nurse infants/? Were there not any woman scientists? were there no sports woman? Textbooks should not be closed systems of knowledge —there must be scope in the syllabus for the teachers to bring them alive and open them up for discussion. The textbooks should not reflect social biases . The teacher must taught and trained to discuss the personalities involved in the text book absolutely objectively and teach on the lessons the students can learn out of the personalities. The students should be clarified and counseled and guided , not to look into the social status of the personalities , because we are not discussing the personalities but on their achievements and those achievements have been useful to the society. In professional and public life there is no gender. People remembered for their achievements and not because they belong to a gender or because of their social status.
