Perry Thapa (#6) raises the important issue of substandard school textbooks. It is a very sorry state of affairs. Most textbook writers and publishers tend to believe that words without a semblance of logical arrangement and structure
are OK as long as they are in English.

Most private schools claim English medium teaching to be their main aim-but who is looking at the quality of English? Thank you for raising this critical issue to the notice of the education establishment.

Who is going to control quality in these textbooks with poorly constructed language structure and ill-digested argument? The authors have no sense of style, there is no coherence and logical connection. There is no clarity of thought, no conciseness of expression and the text is stale and cliche-filled. And these books are our language role models!

And it's not just a question of English. Nepali textbooks are no better. For example, the section on Nepal's foreign policy in the Social Studies textbook begins with inane sentences like: "Nepal has always wished to maintain friendly relations with all the countries of the world." This is the sort of mediocrity you see in careless journalism and boring speeches by politicians. The real worry is that no one sees anything wrong with these books.

Hriseekesh Upadhyay
Kathmandu