Andhra Pradesh rewrites Class 1 and 2 textbooks so men do half the housework

Andhra Pradesh has revised its Class 1 and Class 2 textbooks so that household chores are shown being done equally by men and women. Earlier editions showed those tasks being done entirely by women.

What changed

In the revised books, half the household chores shown are performed by men and half by women. The state's Minister for Human Resources Development, Nara Lokesh, described the aim as avoiding gender stereotyping "from the first grade itself" and building respect for women, speaking at a Public Affairs Forum of India event in Delhi on 25 September.

The revision is part of a wider set of reforms the state is making in school education: value education, gender sensitivity, technology-enabled learning and changes to the curriculum.

Why a picture in a Class 1 book matters

For a six-year-old, the illustrations are the textbook. Children notice who cooks, who cleans and who goes to work long before they read the words underneath, and research on early-grade textbooks has repeatedly found that those pictures shape what children think is normal. Changing them is cheap, and it reaches every child in a government school.

The state has not said when the revised editions will reach every classroom. Parents and teachers who want to see the change can compare the new books with the old ones when they are distributed.

CareerBox News Desk, reporting on the revision of Class 1 and 2 textbooks announced by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Official portal: cse.ap.gov.in. Dates and eligibility change; confirm them on the official portal before you act.