NEW DELHI: Following widespread outrage over a comprehension passage in the Class X English examination held on December 11, which allegedly promoted gender stereotyping and regressive notions, the CBSE on Monday decided to drop the question and award full marks to students. The board also decided to set up an experts panel to strengthen the question paper setting processes.
The passage, which had gone viral on social media, had sentences such as the “emancipation of the wife destroyed the parent’s authority over the children” and “it was only by accepting her husband’s way that a mother could gain obedience of the younger ones”.
Another part read, “Women gaining independence is the main reason for a wide variety of social and family problems” and if “wives stops obeying their husbands, that is the main reason children and servants are indisciplined”.
Following sharp reactions from various quarters, the CBSE issued a statement saying the passage was in violation of its guidelines. “A passage in one set of the English language and literature paper of CBSE class X first term examination held on 11th December 2021 is not in accordance with the guidelines of the board with regard to setting of question papers,” it said. Raising the issue in Parliament, Congress president Sonia Gandhi called the passage “blatantly misogynistic” and “condemnable”.