Punjab Schools Redefine Gender Roles in Textbooks: Fighter Jets for Girls, Razia Sultan’s History
· India · Indian Express, NDTV
Punjab’s Class 7 English textbook now features a story where a girl, Sidhak, chooses a miniature fighter jet over a kitchen set after seeing a woman pilot during the Republic Day parade. The narrative, titled *A Gift for Sidhak*, is part of a broader curriculum reform launched in 2021 in collaboration with NGO Breakthrough and J-PAL South Asia to challenge gender stereotypes. The revised textbooks, covering Classes 6 to 8, also highlight historical figures like Razia Sultana and Nur Jahan, reframing their roles to counter marginalisation. Teachers have been trained to reinforce these lessons, including stories about family support for women’s careers and shared household responsibilities. The initiative targets gender sensitisation from an early age, with the Education Department emphasising that textbooks alone cannot drive change without active classroom engagement.
Why it matters
This curriculum shift directly impacts over 1.5 million schoolchildren in Punjab, reshaping how gender roles are perceived from a young age. Families and educators will now engage with narratives that normalise women in non-traditional fields like aviation and leadership, potentially influencing career aspirations and social norms across generations.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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