Photo: TanjugAccording to the Law on Gender Equality, textbooks should respect grammatical gender. The profession believes that there is no need to insist on new standards. The proposal for textbook quality standards insists on gender-sensitive language, but also that the language contributes to an easier understanding of the content. The implementation of the Law was delayed, but not the determination of textbook quality standards, without which textbooks cannot be written.
The Law on Gender Equality mandates that textbooks, teaching materials, certificates, diplomas, titles and professions be written in "language that is in accordance with grammatical gender". However, the National Education Council (NPS) and Serbian chairs from all six state universities in Serbia do not think so.
In contrast to the Law on Gender Equality, experts agree with the opinion of Matica Srpska and the Committee for the Standardization of the Serbian Language, who believe that textbooks should not insist on new standards. These are textbooks that have just been proposed, which means that they have not been adopted.
Let's remind: The Committee for the Standardization of the Serbian Language, that is, the profession, concluded that the application of the language-related provisions in the Law on Gender Equality represent violence against the Serbian language and its literary and linguistic norms.
However, the Proposal for Textbook Quality Standards insists on gender-sensitive language. But, at the same time, it mandates that the texts in the textbooks be clearly formulated, adapted to the age and developmental level of the students, that the language be functional and contribute to an easier understanding of the content. Therefore, it is unclear why it insists on gender-sensitive language.
"All the terms used in this rulebook in the masculine gender include the masculine and feminine genders of the person to whom they refer," was noted in the expert assessment of Matica Srpska and the Committee for the Standardization of the Serbian Language in a letter to the NPS. "If, quite justifiably, this wording was intended to avoid the complicated sentence structure created by the use of parallel forms to denote persons of the male and female sex, it is unclear why a similar introductory wording, which is considered only correct from the point of view of linguistics, could not be an obligatory part of every textbooks and teaching aids, instead insisting on the use of gender-sensitive language."
There are more illogicalities.
According to the Law on Gender Equality (Article 73, Paragraph 2), the application of gender-sensitive language in textbooks is postponed until 2024. However, this postponement of the application of gender-sensitive language does not apply to the determination of textbook quality standards, which is ongoing. And in order for textbooks to be written in gender-sensitive language, this must first be determined by textbook quality standards.
What is more important: science and profession, or law? To this question, "Politics" received the following answer from the Office of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality: "The application and introduction of gender-sensitive language cannot be prevented by any attempts to deny women the role they have in society under the pretext of legal ambiguities." Gender-sensitive language has already taken root, because the younger generations accept and pronounce various until recently typically 'male' professions in the female gender - soldier, cadet, psychologist, scientist, republican, engineer... After all, the Serbian language, on whose protection many insist, has always known gender, number and case, and even in this case, we see no reason for deviations - they have no dilemma in an institution dedicated to the protection of equality."
This topic was not discussed at the National Day of Gender Equality, which was celebrated for the first time in Serbia this year for two days. June 11 was chosen, the day when, 182 years ago, Prince Mihailo, by decree, allowed girls to get an education. It should not be reminded that textbooks play an important role in education.
S.Ć./Politika
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