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After outrage, CBSE drops controversial passage from class 10 paper
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) ran into troubled waters after a comprehension passage in its Class X English question paper was called out for promoting “misogyny”, “gender stereotyping” and supporting “regressive notions”. Here are a few excerpts from the passage which has now been dropped by the education board.
“It was only by accepting her husband’s sway that she (wife) could gain obedience from the young.”
“In bringing the man down from his pedestal the wife and mother deprived herself, in fact, of the means of discipline.”
“What people were slow to observe was that the emancipation of the wife destroyed the parent’s authority over children,” read a part of the passage.
One of the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) asked whether the writer “seems to be a male chauvinist pig (sic) or an arrogant person.” The correct answer to this question, however, was that the writer “takes a light-hearted approach to life.”
The matter escalated into a full-blown controversy as Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi raised the issue in the Lok Sabha.
“The passage contains atrocious statements, such as ‘women gaining independence is the main reason for a wide variety of social and family problems’. The entire passage is riddled with such condemnable ideas and the questions that follow are equally nonsensical,” Gandhi remarked.
She sought an apology from the Board, saying: “I urge the ministry of education and CBSE to immediately withdraw this question, issue an apology, and conduct a fair review into this lapse and ensure this is never repeated.”
The Opposition MPs also staged a walkout over the issue.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at the CBSE over the passage terming it as “disgusting” and a “ploy” of the RSS-BJP to crush the morale and future of the youth.
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.— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 13, 2021
Following the outrage, the CBSE decided to drop the controversial passage and awarded full marks for it.
In a circular released on Monday, the CBSE said that the passage is “not in accordance with the guidelines of the board with regard to setting of question papers.”
As the passage in one set of question paper in class X English Exam is not in accordance with guidelines of the board with regard to setting of question papers, it has been decided to drop the question and award full marks to the students for this passage . pic.twitter.com/IHfoUJSy2O
— CBSE HQ (@cbseindia29) December 13, 2021
Later in the evening, facing criticism for its failure to apologise, the Board went a step further to say: “CBSE regrets this unfortunate incident and is setting up an expert committee to thoroughly review and strengthen the question paper setting processes, to avoid such occurrences in the future.”
— CBSE HQ (@cbseindia29) December 13, 2021
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