Calcutta, May 14 :     Back in school, the men are still winning the numbers game. An ongoing project of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) discovered that men are more popular than women. At least on paper. Few women find a reference in the textbooks provided to thousands of children in Classes I and II in 51,000 primary and 13,000 secondary state-aided schools. Arithmetic books are the biggest culprits. If 500 names are mentioned in the sums, only 25 are those of women. The remaining belong to men. ?We talk of gender equality, but if we want them to be equals, we must set the score right, now. These things will have to change if we want our children to grow up free of biases,?? Mohammed Heptullah, SCERT director, said. But arithmetic books are not the only ones with the blatant preference for men. Even other textbooks prefer to name more men. For instance, few women are written about in history books . ?Ideally, topics in history books should be chosen such that children learn that even women had an important role in the country?s development,? SCERT sources said. The ratio of men and women, when it comes to a mention in the history books, is 20:1. Of the 20 characters mentioned in a particular history book, only one is a woman. Illustrators also avoid women. Sources said: ?If a picture in a geography book depicts a scene in rural Bengal or even India, the farmer is always a man and never a woman.? Such illustrations are made despite the fact that women help out in the fields. The purpose behind carrying out the study, however, was not to find out the ratio between men and women in terms of reference in text books, but to review its contents. Based on that, they would find ways to improve the course and introduce elements of national integrity in the syllabus. SCERT sources said a number of factors was considered while carrying out the study. For one, they wanted to see whether the existing syllabi in the various subjects had been framed with a secular outlook and whether they inculcated a sense of national integrity. The books do not encourage a healthy respect for the national flag either. In books for Classes I to V, the mention of the national flag is not even made once. A state education department official said the project report is yet to be submitted to the government. SCERT promises to take up the matter immediately with the state school education department and do something about the lopsided ratio. The government would be advised to consider the matter, the SCERT source said. The state education department official has assured that the proposals would definitely be considered. ?We will first go through the suggestions and then forward them to the state education board for the changes,? he said.