KOCHI: The CBSE Class X Hindi examination turned out to be nightmare for students in the state, with even toppers ruing their decision to opt for the subject ditching Malayalam and French as the second language. Highlighting the seriousness of the issue, parents and teachers of various schools in Kochi said the blow the CBSE dealt the students will cause the next batch to completely forgo Hindi.
“A big salute to CBSE for successfully working towards discouraging students from opting for Hindi for boards from next year,” said Anitha K S, a parent whose daughter found the question paper very tough and lengthy.
According to her, CBSE students in the south follow Hindi Course B.
“This is supposed to be easier than those in the Kendriya Vidyalayas and other north Indian schools. The students were shocked when very challenging Hindi words that they don’t even understand popping up in questions. The children had to spend more than five minutes to understand the questions,” she added.
Another parent, Manju M E, said many questions were tricky, especially in the poem section, which confused students. “In several multiple-choice questions, the options given resembled each other very closely. For students who are not well-versed in Hindi, grasping the nuances of the difference in meaning, and that too in an examination setting, became very difficult,” she said.
According to Rohit S, another parent, the grammar section was another lightning bolt. “The 16-mark grammar questions were completely different in all three sets. The questions were also found to be confusing. Out of the three sets of question papers, namely A, B and C, imagine one student getting a set that has all the tough questions while another gets a comparatively easier one.
Usually, only the question numbers are changed in all three sets. But this time, they even changed the questions. Isn’t that unfair? Things have become such that students fear getting the supposedly tougher set,” he said.
One question that all parents wanted to ask was whether CBSE was trying to frighten south Indian students away from Hindi.
“We would like to place the following suggestions before the CBSE. Why are different sets prepared with entirely different questions? It may be fairer to students if all sets contain the same questions, with only a change in sequence if necessary,” Anitha said.
The parents also said that if regional languages have only one set with direct and moderate-level questions, why not consider maintaining a similar approach for Hindi as well to ensure fairness?
“While preparing the Hindi Course B question paper, we humbly request that the Hindi proficiency level of students from non-Hindi-speaking
states be taken into consideration. Students who opt for Hindi as a second language should not feel disadvantaged compared to those who choose a regional language,” said Smisha P K.
Bolt from the blue
Children had to spend more than five minutes to understand the questions, said a parent
Many questions were tricky, which confused students
Options given resembled each other very closely