CBSE Class 10 English question paper sparks controversy for promoting 'gender stereotyping'

By Team Newsable | First Published Dec 13, 2021, 2:01 PM IST

Several section snippets have gone popular on social media, with people criticising the board for endorsing "misogynistic" and "regressive attitudes," with the hashtag "CBSE degrades women" trending on the microblogging site Twitter.

A comprehension section in the CBSE class 10 English question paper has stirred outrage for allegedly encouraging "gender stereotyping" and supporting "regressive views," leading the board to report the problem to subject specialists. The question paper for the class 10 exam on Saturday included a comprehension passage with sentences such as "emancipation of women destroyed the parent's authority over the children". The passage went on to say things like, "it was only by adopting her husband's approach that a mother could acquire obedience over the younger ones," and so on.

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Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress General Secretary, too resorted to Twitter to express her displeasure with the question paper. She wrote that are we teaching children this drivel. She went on to say that the BJP government plainly supports these sexist ideas on women; otherwise, why would they be included in the CBSE curriculum?

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? ?? pic.twitter.com/5NZyPUzWxz

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi)

Most 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)

According to Lakshmi Ramachandran, spokeswoman for the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, this absolutely ridiculous reading passage occurred in the 10th CBSE board test examination. She questioned that what are we teaching our children. She further said CBSE has to explain and tender an apology for inflicting our children with this.

Also Read | CBSE to begin registration for class 9, 11 students from December 15

A passage in one set of the English paper of the CBSE class 10 first term test held yesterday aroused conflicting reactions from a few parents and pupils, according to the Central Board of Secondary Education. According to the board's defined protocols, subject specialists will refer the matter for considered opinions. Concerning the correct response option and the answer key issued by the board, it is mentioned that if the experts think that the passage stimulates many interpretations, appropriate action will be taken to protect the students' interests, according to the board.

The CBSE class 12 sociology paper, given earlier this month, asked students to designate the party responsible for the anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002, a subject the board later deemed unsuitable and in violation of its norms.

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