The Class 9 NCERT Textbook from the National Council of Educational and Research Training has drawn criticism. According to Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), the NCERT Class 9 Textbook chapter encourages ‘toxic conduct in families.’
Concerning a chapter in the NCERT Class 9 English Textbook titled ‘The Little Girl,’ DCPCR Chief Anurag Kundu wrote to the director of NCERT. The commission found that, the NCERT Textbook normalises and encourages aggressive masculinity, portrays women in stereotypical ways, and simultaneously educates kids to accept violence in the family.
A tweet says, ‘I have written to @ncert Director suggesting removal of the class IX English textbook chapter 3 titled ‘The Little Girl’ as it normalises aggressive masculinity, upholds patriarchy, and encourages toxic behaviour in the home.’
Kundu also questioned the inclusion of the chapter in the curriculum in his letter to NCERT. In his letter, Kundu said that the material ‘does not empower girls in any way and in fact presents negative examples that girls and women can forgive perpetrators of abuse.’
The main characters of ‘The Little Girl’ are Keiza, her parents, and her grandmother. The protagonist of the novel is Keiza, who fears her father and feels continuously threatened by him to the point where it affects her speech.
The DCPCR Chief emphasised further that textbooks are crucial in forming children’s and young people’s ideas as they mature. Children acquire the skills to resist violence and misogyny through education. In order to be updated or replaced for the new academic year of 2023–2024, Kundu has requested to NCERT.
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