KOCHI: The Class XII students of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Chennai region got a fright of their lives when they got their Physics question paper. The students, who compared the question papers set for other regions, alleged that the one used for the Chennai region was completely unbalanced.
According to Riya Mathew, a Class XII student of a prominent school in Kochi, the time that had to be devoted to each question was way more than what was available.
“This caused time management to go haywire and hence affected the quality of answers. We had to scramble to finish the paper. For me, it was a photo finish,” she said. Some of the students who had access to question papers set for other regions found them to be 100 per cent well balanced. “The questions were much direct and the time needed to answer each was also right. I think students from the Chennai region have been dealt a raw deal,” said Harish Nair, another student.
The teachers too agreed with the students. “Of course, the very brilliant students were able to crack the question paper with ease. However, the students who fall in the average category found it very tough,” said Jaya Sabin, principal, Greet’s Public School. According to her, the school has notified the CBSE officer in charge of Kerala. “The officer, who is en-route to the boards Delhi office, has been sent an e-mail detailing the problems faced by the students while answering the Class XII physics paper,” she said.
According to Ibrahim Khan, president, Kerala CBSE School’s Management Association, the association will be taking the issue up with the CBSE. “We have decided to approach the board seeking leniency during evaluation. It will be good if the parents and students also make a formal complaint with the board,” he said. “The question papers are set by different people all over the regions, and then a committee selects the papers that are to be used for the examination. So as to the allegation that students from the Chennai region have been dealt a raw deal needs to be examined,” he said.