03-10-2006, 09:03 PM
came in email
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Final California Board of Education Decision on Hinduism in Textbooks Better
Than Expected
Hinduism Today
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.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Final California Board of Education Decision on Hinduism in Textbooks Better
Than Expected
Hinduism Today
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.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->