Social media slams 'sexist para' in CBSE English paper

The 'sexist content' in the CBSE class 10 English examination held on Saturday confused students and teachers, while creating a political furore across the country with many, including senior political leaders, slamming the CBSE officials.

In the question paper, one of the reading comprehension passages was regressive portrayal of women and it was also not age appropriate.

"We teachers were shocked to see such content in the paper," said one of the teachers from a school affiliated to CBSE in Bengaluru. The passage denotes male supremacy, she said.

The passage 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 tried to insist. There was more room now for disagreement between the parents, enabling the child to appeal from one to the other, eventually ignoring both. In bringing the man down from his pedestal, the wife and mother deprived herself, in fact, of the means of discipline.”

Soon after the examination, the content was viral on various social media platforms where users condemned the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) and some even demanded an apology from the board for allowing such content.

"The Board must take action against the paper-setters," said one person on Twitter.

"The students were confused with the question and approached teachers who were on invigilation duty. And we, teachers were shocked to see such a paragraph," said a teacher who was on exam duty on Saturday.

"Clearly, the BJP government endorses these retrograde views on women. Why else would they feature in the CBSE curriculum?"

Several leaders, including an MP from Tamil Nadu, criticised the CBSE and said such a passage reflects poorly on the institution. The issue turned political on Twitter on Sunday evening.

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