E-Paper
CBSE students demand retest after ‘unexpectedly tough’ math board paper
HT was contacted by at least 20 students overnight over mail and many more over WhatsApp, challenging the CBSE to conduct an open forum to solve the paper. Some of these messages came from students in Jaipur and Jamshedpur.
Hundreds of anxious students across India demanded on Tuesday the Central Board of Secondary Education re-conduct the Class XII Mathematics examination after an “unexpectedly tough” question paper left many candidates in tears.
HT was contacted by at least 20 students overnight over mail and many more over WhatsApp, challenging the CBSE to conduct an open forum to solve the paper. Some of these messages came from students in Jaipur and Jamshedpur.
“Students like me went prepared with more than 50 mock papers solved but after seeing the paper we went blank! Honestly it wasn’t a paper for a normal student,” said Amogh Mukhi from Delhi’s Sanskriti School.
The outcry came after a “lengthy and tough” Mathematics paper on Monday when students complained even one-mark questions were tricky and that it would be difficult to score above 90.
“I am a humanities student and I am used to write long answers, but the mathematics paper was even longer than humanities subject paper,” wrote Muskan from Jaipur.
A high score in Mathematics is imperative as it is expected to drive the overall percentage of marks obtained by the student and is crucial for college entrances, where cut-offs regularly touch 98-99%
“CBSE is, in a way, playing with our future .One hand they say don’t put pressure on kids, other hand such papers are set. Why are NCERT books in school curriculam when they are not followed in paper setting?” asked Latika Panghal.
“Keeping all subjects on stake, we are practising for maths throughout the year and see what has happened. We are totally heartbroken and depressed and are not able to concentrate for the next exam,” she said.
Arun Bhatia wants those who set the paper be “expelled”. “Govt school still teaching 2014 level, CBSE wants IIT level. Those who play with the future of students must be punished.”
A parent, Osheain Mehta, said, “With a heavy heart I saw my daughter coming out of the examination hall crying. I myself am a post graduate in Physics and it was shocking to see the marks distribution of the paper. I wonder why such an illogical marking scheme and an unusually lengthy paper was set. CBSE must award grace marks to the students to be fair with the Delhi students,”
