2 weeks ago
Ahmedabad school makes Malala, Anne Frank books optional after protests
A school in the city of Ahmedabad, India, got into trouble with parents.
A student found a tiny piece of glass in his lunch.
Parents were worried their child might have swallowed some glass.
Parents also complained about books the school was asking students to read.
The books were about Malala Yousafzai, a girl who fought for education, and Anne Frank, a girl who wrote a diary during World War Two.
Some parents said the school was forcing children of a certain religion to read these books.
The school said the books were only part of an optional reading club and were never required.
After the protests, the school made the books optional so students could choose any book.
The school also stopped working with a consultant named Munazza Shums.
It suspended the canteen supervisor, added new food-safety checks, and made the canteen optional with refunds.
Ahmedabad's Anand Niketan School listed books by Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank as 'optional' after parent protests.
A Class VIII student allegedly found a glass piece in his school lunch on August 11.
Parents demanded the glass piece for a medical examination, but the school said it had lost it.
The school terminated the services of consultant Munazza Shums after parents questioned her role.
The District Education Officer, Ahmedabad issued a show-cause notice over the 'glass chip' found in the food.
- Who
- Parents and students of Anand Niketan School, school chairman Kamal Mangal, consultant Munazza Shums, and the District Education Officer, Ahmedabad
- What
- The school made Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank books optional and took food-safety and staffing actions after protests over a glass piece found in a student's lunch and curriculum allegations
- Where
- Anand Niketan School, Shilaj campus, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
- When
- Protests on August 11; the school's responses came in the following days
- Why
- Parents alleged discrimination over mandatory books and raised safety concerns about the glass piece in the food
Parents' perspective
School management's perspective
Books and curriculum
Parents' perspective
Parents alleged the school was 'discriminating' against students of a particular religion by forcing them to read books by Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank.
School management's perspective
The school said the books were only part of an optional Book Club/Library meant to encourage reading, were never compulsory, and called the bias allegation 'baseless'.
Glass piece in food
Parents' perspective
Parents demanded the glass piece for a medical examination because the student said he could have swallowed some glass pieces; the school refused, saying it lost it.
School management's perspective
The school denied nothing on safety and responded by cleaning the kitchen, implementing extra food-safety checks, suspending the canteen supervisor, and making the canteen optional.
Munazza Shums's role
Parents' perspective
Parents alleged that Shums was heading the school and had changed the curriculum to make the books mandatory.
School management's perspective
The school said Shums was an independent consultant, not the head of school, and decided to stop taking her services because parents had questioned her role.
Key facts
- School
- Anand Niketan School, Shilaj campus, Ahmedabad
- Incident
- Glass piece allegedly found in a Class VIII student's lunch (ladyfinger, dal, chapati, rice)
- Protest date
- August 11
- Books made optional
- Anne Frank's diary and 'I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban'
- Consultant
- Munazza Shums - services terminated
- Regulator action
- Show-cause notice issued by the District Education Officer, Ahmedabad
- Food-safety steps
- Canteen supervisor suspended; new canteen contract awarded; three additional supervisors appointed
- Canteen
- Made optional for students, with refunds for those who opt out
Quotes
Anand Niketan School management
School management representatives
“"Of the four books in the Book Club, Anne Frank and Malala Yousafzai’s memoir, ‘I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban’ have been made optional. Students now have an option to read any of the four books. The same has been communicated to the education department."”
indianexpress.com
“"We respectfully clarify that the literary works of internationally recognised authors, including Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank, are included in the optional Book Club/Library intended solely to encourage reading and literary appreciation. The said books are not part of the school’s compulsory curriculum."”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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