Nova2
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Gujarat English textbook talks of photons and turbines - The Times of India
AHMEDABAD: What do childrenexpect from an English textbook? Surely some well-known short storiesand poemsat the very least.
But Class VII students who have to study the textbook prepared for them by the Gujarat Council of Education Research and Training (GCERT) are in for a shock. The book is undoubtedly written in the English language but it has nothing to say about literature.
It reads more like a science book, with discussions on photons and thermal power plants. In the 'Activities' section, students are advised to study the working of wind turbines and the functioning of solar water heaters.
The textbook has sections on balanced diet, food chains and an explanation of how digital cameras work. Examples from other sections of the book are equally jarring.
One chapter talks of cooking and expounds on deep frying, sauteing, boiling and baking. One page has a food chart explaining the calorific value of different types of food such as vada, pulao, idli and masala dosa. The book also carries advice from Lord Shiva on good digestion and healthy food.
But the GCERT has included a Chinese poem translated in English. 'A poem for a friend away on a trip' by Su Shi has been incorporated perhaps to ensure the book can pass off as a serious textbook of English.
No wonder teachers are exasperated with it. "What have wind turbines and photons got to do with English literature?" said Prakash Thakkar, a retired teacher from Vadodara. "There is no poetry, no short story by Somerset Maugham or Tolstoy. The book has no soul. In fact, it shows complete ignorance on the part of the people who prepared it. Poetry and fiction teach children about the finer things of life which history, science or maths can't."
AHMEDABAD: What do childrenexpect from an English textbook? Surely some well-known short storiesand poemsat the very least.
But Class VII students who have to study the textbook prepared for them by the Gujarat Council of Education Research and Training (GCERT) are in for a shock. The book is undoubtedly written in the English language but it has nothing to say about literature.
It reads more like a science book, with discussions on photons and thermal power plants. In the 'Activities' section, students are advised to study the working of wind turbines and the functioning of solar water heaters.
The textbook has sections on balanced diet, food chains and an explanation of how digital cameras work. Examples from other sections of the book are equally jarring.
One chapter talks of cooking and expounds on deep frying, sauteing, boiling and baking. One page has a food chart explaining the calorific value of different types of food such as vada, pulao, idli and masala dosa. The book also carries advice from Lord Shiva on good digestion and healthy food.
But the GCERT has included a Chinese poem translated in English. 'A poem for a friend away on a trip' by Su Shi has been incorporated perhaps to ensure the book can pass off as a serious textbook of English.
No wonder teachers are exasperated with it. "What have wind turbines and photons got to do with English literature?" said Prakash Thakkar, a retired teacher from Vadodara. "There is no poetry, no short story by Somerset Maugham or Tolstoy. The book has no soul. In fact, it shows complete ignorance on the part of the people who prepared it. Poetry and fiction teach children about the finer things of life which history, science or maths can't."
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its better learning science than history u know 
