AN ANALYSIS OF GRADE-VIII ENGLISH TEXTBOOK WITH GENDER DISPARITY PERSPECTIVES IN THE CURRICULUM OF KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

Abstract

This research was aimed to study the curriculum of English Textbook Grade-VIII in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. A qualitative approach was adopted to study the textbook with gender perspectives. Gender presentation in school textbooks is a newly emerging field of study in academia. The ministry of education clearly states that "efforts will be made to eliminate gender bias in textbooks and curriculum" (Ministry of Education 2003b, 22). There is still a lack of practical application for gender equity in schooling tackling the obstacles in the way of such goals (Khalid and Khan 2006; Khan 2007). This study used the two main themes 1. Nature of narrations and  2. Sensitivity of illustrations. Nine steps were taken in this research process. All the themes and sub-themes have a male dominancy though the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan has claimed to remove the gender disparities. , it is clear that schools textbooks promote the gender biased approach because men are shown in powerful, prestigious, well reputed and respectable jobs and women are shown in less visible and less valued positions. It was suggested that to improve feminine visibility, the government, the textbooks boards, and the directorate of the curriculum should assure the equal distribution of contents between the genders in Pakistan.