New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education has responded after the public and political leaders' outrage against the CBSE Class X English question paper.
A passage in one set of the English language and literature papers of the CBSE Class X first term exam conducted on December 11 is not in accordance with the guidelines of the Board with regard to the setting of question papers.
In this backdrop and on the basis of the feedback received from the stakeholders, the issue was referred to a panel of subject experts. As per the recommendations, it has been decided to drop passage No 1 and accompanying questions of the question paper series JSK/1. Full marks will be awarded for this passage to all the students concerned.
To ensure uniformity and parity, full marks will also be awarded to students for passage No 1 for all sets of the question paper of Class X English language and literature, says the authorities concerned from the CBSE.
Earlier, Congress party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted, "Unbelievable! Are we really teaching children this drivel? Clearly, the BJP government endorses these retrograde views on women, why else would they feature in the CBSE curriculum?",
She slammed the government for endorsing "retrograde views on women" as a question in the CBSE Class X Board exam sparked controversy.
Clearly, the BJP government endorses these retrograde views on women, why else would they feature in the CBSE curriculum?" The passage in CBSE's English exam the Congress leader was referring to was: "In twentieth-century children became fewer and feminist revolt was the result...Father's word had no longer the authority of holy writ..." "Married women now retained their identity and some pursued separate careers," it further read, and concluded with "emancipation of the wife destroyed the parent's authority over children." "In bringing the man down from his pedestal the wife and mother deprived herself, in fact, of the means of discipline," it added.
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The four titles offered to children in one of the questions for the passage spiked the row further. The options included: Who is responsible for indiscipline among children? The collapse of discipline at home, place of children and servants at home, child psychology.
Netizens on social media platforms expressed their dismay over a controversial passage in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class X question paper. The text, which was shared on Twitter, was flayed for being anti-women and shared regressive notions about families in general and the role of women in particular.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, too, joined the bandwagon of those who took the BJP government to task, on the CBSE Class X English question paper.
He tweeted, Most #CBSE papers so far were too difficult and the comprehension passage in the English paper was downright disgusting. Typical RSS-BJP ploys to crush the morale and future of the youth. Kids, do your best. Hard work pays. Bigotry doesn’t."
