Gulliver’s Travels out of textbooks in Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: Famous stories like the Gulliver’s Travels will no longer figure in the state school syllabus of Andhra Pradesh. In a bizarre decision, the AP government has decided to scrap such chapters saying they are rooted in foreign culture and don’t apply to the state.

Aspects related to Telangana will be scrapped on the same pretext. Interestingly, these changes will apply from the current academic year itself, lessening the overall syllabus hugely. The AP State Council of Educational Research and Training had decided to change the syllabus for the next academic year. But in a sudden decision, it has again decided to scrap some chapters this year itself.

Along with it are short stories like Rip Van Winkle and the Sheik’s White Donkey. The first two are to be scrapped because they are “rooted in foreign culture” which is not applicable to local conditions. The Sheik’s White Donkey is to be scrapped also because of its purported foreign essence and also “because a white donkey is not existential in the student’s local environment and is unnatural.”

English as a subject is the one taking a huge beating due to the bizarre decisions. These are chapters children have been studying for years now.

“There would be no person who hasn’t heard of Gulliver’s Travels. It is a completely idiotic decision but the government is going ahead because of some reason nobody understands,” an AP SCERT official said, asking not to be named. Another chapter with a description of markets in Hyderabad is also to be deleted because “it portrays Hyderabad and Telangana culture.” All these chapters will be in the textbooks (because they have been printed already) but will not be taught or considered for exams.

Some in the SCERT are even calling it an attempt to saffronise the education to please the BJP. All chapters with content about Telangana, are to be removed from this year itself. “Chapters about natural resources with case studies of Singareni coal mines are also being deleted because the mines are in TS. Bonalu and Batukamma chapters will also not be taught,” sources said.