CBSE drops question, gives full marks

● EXCERPTS FROM the passage have gone viral on social media platforms with users calling out the board for supporting “misogynistic” and “regressive opinions” and the hashtag “#CBSEinsultswomen” trending on Twitter.

The CBSE on Monday expressed regret and announced a committee to thoroughly review and strengthen the question paper setting process after outrage over a passage in class 10 English exam that allegedly promoted “gender stereotyping” and “regressive notions”, even as the Board dropped the part from the questionnaire and said that full marks will be awarded to students for it.

The issue was also raised in the Lok Sabha by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who condemned the “blatantly misogynist” and “nonsensical” questions and said that it reflected “extremely poorly” on the standards of education and testing.

“I wish to draw the government’s attention to the nationwide outrage regarding a shockingly regressive passage in the reading comprehension Section A of the Grade 10 CBSE exam,” said Mrs Gandhi, raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha.

She said the passage contains an atrocious statement such as “women gaining independence is the main reason for a wide variety of social and family problems”, and that “wives stopped obeying their husbands, and that is the main reason children and servants are indisciplined”.

She said the entire passage was riddled with such condemnable ideas, and the questions that followed were equally nonsensical.

Seeking clarification on the issue raised by Mrs Gandhi, members of the Congress, DMK, IUML, NCP and National Conference walked out of the Lok Sabha.

Excerpts from the passage have gone viral on social media platforms with users calling out the board for supporting “misogynistic” and “regressive opinions” and the hashtag “#CBSEinsultswomen” trending on Twitter.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) issued a notice to the Board, seeking the name and designation of those responsible for writing the passage, choosing it for the question paper and whether any action has been taken against them.

It has also asked whether any material published by the CBSE undergoes the scrutiny of experts to ensure that the same is gender-inclusive.