Controversy erupts after misogynistic statements in book being taught to Class XII students in several CBSE-affiliated schools in Capital are put up on social media
The best "shape" for women is 36-24-36. No, this is not a dialogue from some trashy movie, but an excerpt from the Physical Education textbook being taught to Class XII students in several schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in the Capital.
The book titled 'Health and Physical Education' has been penned by VK Sharma, Professor at DAV College in Cheeka, Haryana. It was published by Delhi-based Saraswati Publication. The poorly-worded paragraph came to public attention when the friend of a Ryan International School student tweeted about it on Tuesday, a day ahead of the board exam for the subject.
Defining "physical and anatomical differences" between males and females, the book read: "36-24-36 shape of females is considered the best. That is why in Miss World or Miss Universe competitions, such type of shape is also taken into consideration."
The author goes on to explain how the shape of a woman is a hurdle to her athletic abilities. "The bones of hips of females are wider. Knees are slightly apart. Due to this shape, females are not able to run properly," the book read.
The content of the book created uproar on the social media, following which the CBSE issued a clarification saying that it did not approve the book. "The CBSE does not recommend books by any private publishers to the affiliated schools. Schools should exercise extreme care while selecting books of private publishers. The content must be scrutinised to preclude any objectionable content, and if prescribing books with such content, the school will have to bear the responsibility," the CBSE statement read.
According to the publishers, the book has been in circulation for the last two years and is being taught in several schools affiliated to the CBSE across the national Capital. They are, however, waiting for an explanation from the author and are yet to release an official statement on the controversy.
The Ryan International School authorities, meanwhile, claimed that they were not aware of the book's content. "The school got to know about it through media reports," an official at the school's Vasant Kunj branch said.
The book is being taught at the school's Faridabad branch as well. "My Physical Education teacher informed me about the content of this book on Tuesday. I have to go through it before making any comment," Principal Anju Uppal said.
Calling the book's content a "ludicrous" way to reiterate stereotypes, a Class XII student from Ryan said: "If we believe the author, all celebrated women athletes of India are not good runners."
Past imperfect
Animal rights activists were recently left aghast when a CBSE book mentioned an experiment, which suggested that students put a cat inside a box with no vents to "scientifically show how mammals need oxygen".
A book for Class IX students created controversy after a section read that people who eat non-vegetarian food "easily cheat and tell lies".
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