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West Bengal Primary School Book Refers To Dark Person 'Ugly', Parents Stage Protest
Writer: Sumanti Sen
Sumanti Sen is an English Literature graduate who believes "there's just one kind of folks. Folks.".
West Bengal, 11 Jun 2020 3:14 PM GMT
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The illustration showed the letter 'U for Ugly' with the picture of a person with dark complexion in the children’s curriculum.
An illustration used for children in a primary school in West Bengal's Burdwan called a dark-skinned person ugly, prompting parents to protest. The illustration showed the letter 'U' as 'Ugly' with the picture of a person with dark complexion, in the children's curriculum books on alphabet and words.
The book was used in the pre-primary department of the government-aided Municipal Girls High School located in Burdwan city of East Burdwan district of West Bengal, reported India Today.
"My daughter is studying in this Municipal Girls High School. I came across this subject while teaching my daughter. It is completely wrong to educate children by calling a black person ugly in this way," said Sudip Majumdar, a teacher of Kolkata Bangbasi (Evening) College.
"This book should be withdrawn soon. In any case, the education being given to children in the name of blacks will work to fill their tender hearts with inferiority complexes and discriminate against blacks. This is wrong," he added.
This comes at a time when the world is shaken by the brutal murder of African-American George Floyd.
"This kind of book is not an official book given by the school. We will still talk to the school about it. If needed the book should be changed," said Swapan Kumar Dutt, District Inspector of School Primary Education.
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