Kids being taught wrong facts

Macmillan, publishers of a large number of school textbooks, finds itself in a spot of bother after allowing wrong information to be prin...

Macmillan, publishers of a large number of school textbooks, finds itself in a spot of bother after allowing wrong information to be printed in the science textbooks for standards III, IV, V. Chapter V, page 41 of Exploring Science says that a new born baby has 330 bones, when in fact a new born, like adults, has 206 bones.

Another entry in the book on page 68, states that the 1995 solar eclipse was the millenium8217;s last one. In Book 3 for class III, there is a reference to weaver birds: 8220;A weaver bird builds many nests8230;.a number of nests in the same place confuse the snakes.8221; The reality is that a male weaver builds many nests, and when one is chosen by the female, he stops work on the others. 8220;This is purely a mating rite and is not meant to confuse snakes or any predators,8221; says Preston Ahimas, Regional Head, World Wildlife Fund WWF, Chennai.

There are a total of 37 factual errors see box that have crept into the publisher8217;s books which are prescribed by many schools throughout the country.

Poonam Kohli, series editor, Macmillan India Ltd, Bangalore, defends the books saying that Macmillan spent three years checking and re-checking the contents of the series before printing them. 8220;What are being catalogued as errors is correct information, because the authors have referred different sources,8221; she says.

Already one lakh copies have been sold since the series was first published in 1996 and Macmillan8217;s greatest achievement, says Poonam Kohli, is that the books are being used by first-generation learners.

She defends the authors, Dr J M D8217;souza who is on the National Council for Education and Research Technology8217;s workshop panel and Dr Kirti D8217;souza, a science teacher at Xavier8217;s Institute, Ahmedabad.

Regarding the error relating to the solar eclipse, she says, 8220;Professor Yashpal former United Grants Commission chairman himself said this in 1995. How could we not trust his words?8221; But she agreed that this information lapse required correcting.

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Educational institutions in Chennai greeted this news with shock. 8220;It becomes a very serious issue if teachers have overlooked the errors for three years,8221; says M Simon, Principal, CSI Jesse Moses MHSS, Chennai.

Soundari Duraiappa, Principal, SBOA Matric and HSS, Chennai, blamed the publishers for trying to capitalise on the reputation of its authors. 8220;Books claiming to have been reviewed by a person in a high position are merely meant for business purposes,8221; she says.

Only two out of the 11 schools contacted, said they had a reviewing board to screen textbooks.

Some examples of wrong facts printed by MacMillan

Published: The Arctic Tern flies 1,27,000 km between the two poles twice a year. Book III, pg 58

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Fact:It flies 25,000 miles round-trip state.ak.us/local/akpages/fish.game/notebook/bird/terns.html

Published: Bats can fly but they are more like foxes because bats have hair, ears, teeth, and give birth to baby bats. Book III, pg 23

Fact: The comparison is wrong. Preston Ahimas, WWF, Chennai

Published: Bats and moths find their food in the dark with the help of their sense of smell. Book III, pg 24

Fact: Moths equally rely on eyes too. In fact, the sense of smell is less developed in moths. Preston Ahimas

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Published: Bean plants are shown growing upright. Book IV, pg 92

Fact: They are climbers.