( this is the portion where the committee explained its approach.
It is shocking to know that there were no guidelines to choose cartoons for the
text books. It was left to the text book development team. The report is yet to
be released officially. This is from the ‘ wiki leaked’ report published by
Kafila)
Guidelines used by the
Committee to review the Materials and Visuals
The Review Committee
reviewed the six textbooks keeping in view the above mentioned guidelines and
principles, namely guiding
principles of National Curriculum Framework – 2005, objective of Teaching of
Social Sciences at Secondary and Higher Secondary Stage and Specific objectives
of teaching political science at Secondary and Sr. Secondary stage.
Further the following criteria were also taken into consideration
while reviewing the educational materials, consisting of both written text and
visual including the cartoons.
5.1 Criteria
to Review the Content of Textbooks
i. Convergence:
While reviewing the
textbooks the Committee examined whether the written text or contents were in
consonance with the illustrations.
ii. Targeting of individuals or
groups of individual
The lessons were
reviewed to see whether the content both verbal and non verbal and examples,
targets individuals or group of individuals or are intended to clarify the
concepts and content. Whether there were distortions in explanation and
interpretation? Whether the illustrations or pictures were “event specific or person
specific.”
iii. Sense
of proportion in presentation
Balance in content,
illustrations, visuals, cartoons and other visuals.
iv. Analytical
and synthesis mode
Whether the content of
the lessons focuses only on analysis or on synthesis also.
v. Level of satire
What is the level of
satire? Is it appropriate for students of that age? Is the satire subtle or
abrasive?
vi. Positive
and negative examples
Is there a balance
between positive and negative examples – case studies, cartoons, visuals,
collage etc?
7.
Quality of illustration
Quality of the illustration was seen in terms
of being eye-catching and stimulating the imagination
8.
Sensitivity
a) How sensitive are the
cartoons and illustrations towards communities, castes, ethnicity, religions,
women, language and other groups and minorities? In a country as diverse as India
the above considerations cannot be disregarded.
b) Individual specific and issue
specific visuals
5.2 Guidelines
used for review of cartoons
The general objection
raised in Parliament and outside Parliament by some groups was that the use of
cartoons is inappropriate in some textbooks. The letter by two Advisors
to the Review Committee also mentions this. The Committee tried to get the
guidelines for the use of cartoons by NCERT. It emerged
from the discussion with the former Director of NCERT and Chief Advisors that
no specific guidelines were laid down for the use of visuals including
cartoons. The general guidelines used for the written text were also used
for selection of cartoons. The Chief Advisors in the interactive meeting
held on 28 May 2012 informed the Committee that the selection of the cartoons
was generally left to the Textbook Development Team.
However the Chief
Advisors in ‘A Letter to You’ in the books mentioned the importance of the
cartoons in teaching. In the text book titled Indian Constitution
at work for Class XI, importance of cartoons has been pointed out. The
Advisors write that “the cartoons are not there simply as comic relief. They
tell about the criticisms, the weak spots and mere failures. They also
help to learn both about politics and about how to think about politics.
“Thus for these reasons, the Advisors emphasised the importance of cartoons in
teaching. Chief Advisors observed:
‘We cannot claim to
be experts in educational psychology and it may be important to take experts’
view on whether or not students aged 15-18 should be exposed to cartoons. We
simply shared and followed the spirit of NCF 2005 that invited us to bridge the
gap between bookish leaning and the world outside the classrooms. Cartoons used
in the Political Science textbooks do different things at different points in
the text: entertain or engaged the readers, invite them to return to the text
with a new range of questions or help them achieve critical
distance vis-a-vis received wisdom, including that of the textbook
itself.—-Exposing the students to these and other cartoons from all over the
world encourage them to relates to the working of democracy. Elements such as
cartoons, pictures and news papers clipping aim at situating the abstract point
in the context of the actual processes that unfolded in the past or are
unfolding in the contemporary movement. These are not visual distractions
but integral to the design of these textbooks.”
The former Director of
NCERT and the Chief Advisors thus attributed great significance to the use of
cartoons in teaching. This view indeed is supported by researchers as
well. It is argued that sociologically, cartoons are a powerful means of
providing social and political comments because so often they are unmasking and
they reveal the contrast between perception and reality. Cartoons can be
used with students to objectively analyse every day social behaviour and
stimulus to reflections on attitudes. (Ziegler 1998, Witkin 1999, Khauan Wai Bing and Chua Hong Tam 2003,
Taher Bahrani Rahmatollah Soltani, 2011) (see reference at the end).
However the views
expressed by the Advisors did not mention about the precautions in the
selection and use of the cartoons in teaching. The literature on the use
of the cartoons revealed that while it recognised their usefulness in teaching,
it also demand precaution in their use. There is a need for a careful balance
with humour and the content that we would like our student to learn.” (Khauan
Wai Bing and Chua Hong Tam 2003, Taher Bahrani Rahmatollah
Soltani, 2011). The researchers have indicated precaution in few
respects. The first precaution is about the careful selection of the
cartoons keeping in view the goals of the specific subject. It is through the
careful selection and use of appropriate and relevant cartoons that an element
of humour can be introduced, where appropriate, without detracting from the
intension of the teaching. The second precaution is that it is essential
to practice using it at least once with groups of learners before final
inclusion in the textbook. According to experts, this will help to find
out if the cartoon selected is going to work and in the expected way with
expected results. If they do not produce the desire effects, then it might need
to be scrapped or modified (Taher Bahrani Rahmatollah Soltani, 2011). The researchers
also warn that, users has to guard against the overuse of cartoons or possible
“unintended consequences”, particularly of caption humour, which are sensitive
to certain groups of people in culturally diversified
society. The expert further cautioned that there is also the risk of offending
through misunderstanding with any joke being perceived as source of ridicule,
sarcasm or as being racist or sexist in nature (Khauan Wai
Bing and Chua Hong Tam 2003) . There is also likely to be differential response
between the students due their background and language deficiency .It is for
these risk elements that cartoons need to be used wisely. Wai and Tam argued
that facilitators have to realize that what works for some people might not
work for others. The researchers also caution about the overuse of cartoons and
mentioned that ,” one has to be careful not to overuse cartoons or their effect
will be diminished if not lost” .There is a needs to be a careful balance
with humour and the content that we would like our students to learn,
observed Wai and Tam ( 2003) .
In the absence of clear guidelines for the use
of cartoons by NCERT, the review Committee has kept these insights in
consideration in reviewing the cartoons in six textbooks in Political Science.
The Committee used the following criterion to review the cartoons:
·
· Based on
visual relief and fun
·
· Improve
teaching and learning
·
· Provides
background information in the text to help the students appreciate the
message
·
· Help
expand students’ imagination
·
· Sensitivity
with respect to various caste, ethnic, religious, gender and regional
minorities
·
· Messages
the cartoons give about the people and political Institutions.
