History textbooks have always been a medium to sing the praises of rulers in Egypt. Most of these books used to be devoted to mentioning the ‘historic accomplishments and wise policies' of the ruler in power, while his predecessor(s) would be given short shrift.This has been the case in the era of the First Republic, i.e. since the Army toppled the monarchy in Egypt in 1952, with the country's first four presidents coming from among its ranks. But this detrimental tradition will soon become a thing of the past. Education officials have said that history textbooks will no longer be manipulated to glorify the country's rulers. “Linking history to the President was a perennial mistake made in the history textbooks in the pre-[January 25] Revolution years," said Reda Mousa'd, a senior official in the Education Ministry. He was referring to the popular revolt that forced long-standing president Hosni Mubarak out of office more than a year ago. During his 30-year reign, Mubarak, a former Air Force commander, was usually portrayed as the hero of the first air strike in Egypt's military victory over Israel in 1973. Little mention was made of the performance of the other Air Force and Army commanders. “These books focused on the President with the aim of glorifying him by exaggerating his achievements, as though the President were synonymous with Egypt," he added. Mousa'd said the Education Ministry will stop making what he courageously called a “grave mistake". The start will be with Morsi, Egypt's first elected civilian and Islamist President. According to Mousa'd, there will be no mention of Morsi in the textbooks being prepared for the new academic year. “I think it is not good to make additions to history books every year. Modifications should be made after the lapse of some time, in order to ensure an objective assessment," he explained. Meanwhile, Salah Arafat, who heads the ministry's Curricula Development Centre, said that Morsi has not “entered history because he has yet to make effective contributions as a president". Accordingly, added Arafa, the new textbooks will not feature the leader who took office only two weeks ago. “Generally speaking, the name of the ruler or his picture will not appear in the history books unless he is related to major events," Arafa stressed. If you are doubt that Egypt is changing for the better, despite a turbulent transition, please read the above again.
