"Better Than Expected"
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, March 9, 2006: The California State Board of Education approved a few additional changes to the proposed textbooks for social studies at the conclusion of its meeting today. They took public testimony on a proposed slate of change, or "edits," which was the result of a committee meeting of February 27 (see HPI, here for the complete background). An excellent presentation by Janeshwari Devi of the Vedic Foundation, which had spearheaded the effort to revise the books along with the Hindu Education Foundation, resulted in 14 additional corrections of contradictions and outright errors in the list of edits approved February 27. These included, significantly, changes regarding the Aryan Invasion theory. According to InsideBayArea.com (here), "The board also instructed the commission to add lines in the textbooks stating that the Aryan invasion -- the controversial theory that traces the roots of Hinduism to a migration of people from Central Asia -- is disputed." In all, most of the edits Hindus sought were granted, while controversial ones regarding caste, women's rights and other issues were not. These edits were opposed by a group of Indian leftists and non-Hindu American academics. The Hindu American Foundation testified at the meeting that the process of consideration of the edits by the Board failed to follow State guidelines and that they were considering suing the Board over these lapses. A lawsuit could hold up production of $300 million worth of social studies books by a dozen publishers for California schools. - from Hinduism Today
Update: Hinduism Today reports on the suit filed in State court by the Hindu American Foundation and a suit filed in Federal court by California Parents for the Equalization of Educational Materials (CAPEEM) charging that the textbook adoption procedure violates the federal rights of Hindus in California.
Categories: USA, California, textbooks
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