Question on Gujarat riots in Class 12 test inappropriate; will take action: CBSE
The question, which came under scanner, was part of the multiple-choice Sociology paper “The unprecedented scale and spread of anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002 took place under which government?, ” the question read.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday said that a question on the 2002 Gujarat communal riots asked in the class 12 sociology Term 1 board paper was inappropriate and in violation of its guidelines for external subject experts setting question papers.
Acknowledging the error, CBSE said that strict action will be taken against paper setters. School administrators said that the question was based on the syllabus and students did not raise any concerns.
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“A question has been asked in today’s class 12 sociology Term 1 exam which is inappropriate and in violation of the CBSE guidelines for external subject experts for setting question papers. CBSE acknowledges the error made and will take strict action against the responsible persons,” the board tweeted on Wednesday evening.
The question, which came under scanner, was part of the multiple-choice Sociology paper “The unprecedented scale and spread of anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002 took place under which government?, ” the question read. The options offered in the answer were: “Congress”, “BJP”, “Democratic” and “Republican”.
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It further added that CBSE guidelines for paper setters outlined that questions should be academic-oriented and should be class and religion neutral. “Questions should not touch upon domains that could harm sentiments of people based on social and political choices.”
A number of school administrators said students did not raise concerns about the question and were able to answer it, since it was based on the syllabus. Chapter 6 of the textbook, Indian Society, has details of the riots, they added.
Sudha Acharya, the chairperson of the National Progressive Schools’ Conference, which has over 120 private Delhi schools as its members, said though students were able to answer the question, it could have been avoided.
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Tania Joshi, principal of The Indian School, added that the question was based on the syllabus. “We have dealt with this topic in political science.”
The 2002 Gujarat riots , which resulted in around 1000 deaths according to official estimates was sparked by the burning of a train carrying Hindu pilgrims on February 27 and lasted three days. According to official estimates, the violence left 1044 people dead.
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