Books in India!! Where is the focus?
Gujarat is India
Gujarat is India
Since late 90's, when I started teaching in Gujarat taking personal tutions I did used to spot erroneous books, served on the table just like a concoction, what actually we get as mocktails here ( prepare a glucose biscuits shake, or any other flavoured and coloured liquid loaded with sugar... and yes, this is the reality). Our taste buds have gone for a toss and similar is the case of our nuerons or the education sector. The miniscule aspect of this is our books. They are our foundation, but the irony is that our growing market (market ..pls take a note) now just to compete, Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest, is coming up with their own course material. Looking at this material I thank my schooling which I started more than three decades ago in my home town Kanpur, also my Board ICSE, elaborate and detailed enough to set a strong base or foundation so that we exercise our nuerons more towards logical workouts than just aping the concepts as dance steps.
Books as i mentioned, they have yet not improved. Gujarat has moved to Delhi but what about the publication houses?
MARKET!!!! Loaded with books, what kind of books should be the biggest question. Books on personality development, attitude and the major space occupied on the profit making book shelves are the novels and fiction. Tossed imaginations, drama, writers serving the same stories wearing different attires where a petticoat changes it's jacket and termed as a skirt. Another emerging nexus.
MARKET!!!! Loaded with books, what kind of books should be the biggest question. Books on personality development, attitude and the major space occupied on the profit making book shelves are the novels and fiction. Tossed imaginations, drama, writers serving the same stories wearing different attires where a petticoat changes it's jacket and termed as a skirt. Another emerging nexus.
What is the major contributing factor that increases the demand for such books?
The foundation of students goes for a toss... to built that again they are asked to read more and more. One of the BIG reason is they need to clear English proficiency tests to go abroad, US or UK. The paradox here is to penetrate into those regions we do not study the age old approved ENGLISH books like 'Wren and Martin' or 'Raymond Murphy', used by our teachers but rely on LOCAL STUFF developed by institutes that have mushroomed. One such very good example is below where Universally known "PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE" IS REINVENTED AS "CONTINUOUS PRESENT TENSE".
The foundation of students goes for a toss... to built that again they are asked to read more and more. One of the BIG reason is they need to clear English proficiency tests to go abroad, US or UK. The paradox here is to penetrate into those regions we do not study the age old approved ENGLISH books like 'Wren and Martin' or 'Raymond Murphy', used by our teachers but rely on LOCAL STUFF developed by institutes that have mushroomed. One such very good example is below where Universally known "PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE" IS REINVENTED AS "CONTINUOUS PRESENT TENSE".
BOOKS!!! Where is our focus more? On book launches and more pouring in rather than PUBLISHING HOUSES CORRECTING THE SCHOOL BOOKS FOR OUR FUTURE CITIZENS.
Since 90's is what i have been reading about text books and attached is a link of 2014 article in The Hindu.
http://m.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/a-textbook-case-of-howlers-in-gujarat/article5726783.ece
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