Students who attempted the controversial comprehension passage in CBSE's Term 1 exams will now receive full marks for the same, a notice issued by the Board on December 13 said. The controversial passage has been criticised for being offensive and gender-insensitive. The Board has decided to drop the three-paragraph-long passage altogether and award all students full marks.
The passage appeared in the CBSE's Class X English paper, which was held on December 11. It has appeared in one among the several sets of question papers distributed. The passage, especially its concluding paragraph, received flak from students, parents and politicians alike. It read, "What people were slow to observe was that the emancipation of the wife destroyed the parent’s authority over the children. The mother did not exemplify the obedience upon which she still tried to insist… In bringing the man down from his pedestal the wife and the mother deprived herself, in fact of the means of discipline."
After widespread criticism, the Board had consulted with its committee of experts before announcing its decision. The Board noted that the passage doesn't follow the guidelines when it comes to setting question papers. The notice also stated that full marks will be awarded to all Class X students who attempted passage No 1, irrespective of whether they received the question paper set that contained the controversial passage.
Sanyam Bhardwaj, CBSE Examination Controller, said."A passage in one set of English language and literature paper of CBSE Class-10 first-term examination held on December 11 is not in accordance with the guidelines of the board with regard to the setting of question papers. In this backdrop and on the basis of the feedback received from the stakeholders, the matter was referred to a committee of subject experts. According to its recommendation, it has been decided to drop the passage and the accompanying questions."
He further added, "Full marks will be awarded for this passage to all the students concerned. To ensure uniformity and parity, full marks will also be awarded to students for passage number one for all sets of the question paper."
