2 June 2018 12:00 am
allege(c) 2018, The Washington Post · Vidhi Doshi · WORLD, ASIA-PACIFIC · Jun 01, 2018 - 7:49 PM
NEW DELHI - New school textbooks in India promoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship policies have prompted fresh criticism that the government is using the education system to further his political agenda.
An analysis of 25 textbooks by the Indian Express newspaper found examples of newly-inserted paragraphs casting Modi’s policies in a positive light, including programmes like “demonetizing” that wiped out more than 85 percent of India’s cash or one to educate girls which has been criticized for lack of funding.
Critics maintain the changes to the textbooks are unbalanced and could skew children’s perceptions of politics and current events.
Modi’s government has been repeatedly criticized for being too image conscious and curbing freedom of the press, only giving scripted interviews to news organizations, and spending $638 million on publicity, including huge sums on newspaper advertisements and celebrity-studded television spots.