A class 4 textbook that is supposed to educate students about protecting the environment and ecology has come up with a rather absurd method of distinguishing between living and non-living organisms.
It asks the students to put a kitten in a box (only after ensuring that it doesn’t have an opening) and wait for a few minutes. The fact that the animal will die due to suffocation will, according to the book, establish that living organisms need air to breathe.
The book, titled ‘Our Green World’ by PP Publication, is being used in many schools across north India, including in a prominent school in Delhi.
Though Parvesh Kumar of PP Publications told Indian Express that the publishers have stopped the distribution of the book a few months ago, the report says it is still being taught in schools that have already purchased it.
After the picture went viral of social media, many wrote to animal right activists and Women And Child Development minister Maneka Gandhi, who is reportedly looking into the matter.
Meanwhile, the picture created an outrage on Twitter with people lambasting everyone associated with the book. Here are a few tweets:
(Feature image source: PTI)