03-03-2005, 11:22 PM
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<b>Question on 'communalism' stumps CBSE examinees </b>
Sonia Sarkar/ New Delhi
Is political correctness more important than knowledge? Fifteen-year-olds who appeared for this year's Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) Class X Social Sciences' examination were stumped when a question carrying six marks -- <b>"What is communalism? Explain the causes for the rise of communalism in India" </b>-- stared at them in the face.
<b>Not only was this off-syllabus, the poser's inclusion in the question paper was "mischievous" according to some parents. One student said : "This issue is not touched upon in the NCERT textbooks in detail. I was surprised that a six-marker was dedicated to it</b>. All my friends wrote whatever they could from general knowledge."
Tarandeep, a student of Guru Harkishan Singh Public School, said: <b>"I wrote that politicians encourage people to vote on the basis of religion."</b> A student of a convent school in New Delhi area, Aatika Manzar said: "Only a paragraph on communalism has been mentioned in our <b>NCERT textbook giving reference to the riots which broke out during the British Rule including the Divide and Rule policy</b>. However, the detail account on the causes of the rise of communalism in India was miles far from the textbook."
So, what more would you expect a student to write to fetch handsome marks? Making the right (read Left) use of their general knowledge, they mentioned about the Gujarat riots, which is certainly to suit the government of the day.
"I have referred to the recent Gujarat riots as discuused in class, to make my answer little elaborative complying the marks it carried," said Aatika. To a question on whether the 1984 carnage of Sikhs was a part of the "class discussion", Aatika looked incredulous.
Another student of Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, defining the term "communalism" wrote, <b>"Encouraging people in the name of religion by politicians and fundamentalists."</b>
It is clear that "communalism" under UPA rule has a special meaning. In an environment surcharged with conflicting versions of "secularism" and its anti-thesis, youngsters are caught in the crossfire. A student is encouraged to harp on Gujarat, but avoid all the other communal riots that happened in the past. As for the connection between politics and religion, mention of Ayodha is pass, but the presence of the Muslim League in the UPA is fail.
The teachers too corroborate that as this subject was very "sketchy" in the textbook, therefore students are left with no option but to refer to their general knowledge.
"The answer of this question carrying six marks was both elaborate and intricate. As the portion mentioned in the textbook did not suffice the weightage of marks, an examinee has to refer to what has been witnessed in recent times in context," said Gitashree, the social science teacher at Apeejay, Sheikh Sarai.
Asked if the textbook reference was enough to answer the six marks question, the controller of examinations, CBSE Pavnesh Kumar said, "The paper was absolutely fine. The students should have written what was mentioned in the textbook."
Another question which puzzled the students was the one carrying four marks asking for the <b>difference between Kathak and Kathakali dance forms.</b>
"The textbook lines only mentioned the state of origin of these two dance forms which should not have weighed more than two marks. The students did not know what to write for four marks as the difference between the two was not explained elaborately," said Usha Ram, the principal of the Laxman Public School.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Commie and Congress will never ask question -List drawback of Socialism or failure of Socialism or 1984 Riots or How to make mockery of Indian Consitution?
<b>Question on 'communalism' stumps CBSE examinees </b>
Sonia Sarkar/ New Delhi
Is political correctness more important than knowledge? Fifteen-year-olds who appeared for this year's Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) Class X Social Sciences' examination were stumped when a question carrying six marks -- <b>"What is communalism? Explain the causes for the rise of communalism in India" </b>-- stared at them in the face.
<b>Not only was this off-syllabus, the poser's inclusion in the question paper was "mischievous" according to some parents. One student said : "This issue is not touched upon in the NCERT textbooks in detail. I was surprised that a six-marker was dedicated to it</b>. All my friends wrote whatever they could from general knowledge."
Tarandeep, a student of Guru Harkishan Singh Public School, said: <b>"I wrote that politicians encourage people to vote on the basis of religion."</b> A student of a convent school in New Delhi area, Aatika Manzar said: "Only a paragraph on communalism has been mentioned in our <b>NCERT textbook giving reference to the riots which broke out during the British Rule including the Divide and Rule policy</b>. However, the detail account on the causes of the rise of communalism in India was miles far from the textbook."
So, what more would you expect a student to write to fetch handsome marks? Making the right (read Left) use of their general knowledge, they mentioned about the Gujarat riots, which is certainly to suit the government of the day.
"I have referred to the recent Gujarat riots as discuused in class, to make my answer little elaborative complying the marks it carried," said Aatika. To a question on whether the 1984 carnage of Sikhs was a part of the "class discussion", Aatika looked incredulous.
Another student of Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, defining the term "communalism" wrote, <b>"Encouraging people in the name of religion by politicians and fundamentalists."</b>
It is clear that "communalism" under UPA rule has a special meaning. In an environment surcharged with conflicting versions of "secularism" and its anti-thesis, youngsters are caught in the crossfire. A student is encouraged to harp on Gujarat, but avoid all the other communal riots that happened in the past. As for the connection between politics and religion, mention of Ayodha is pass, but the presence of the Muslim League in the UPA is fail.
The teachers too corroborate that as this subject was very "sketchy" in the textbook, therefore students are left with no option but to refer to their general knowledge.
"The answer of this question carrying six marks was both elaborate and intricate. As the portion mentioned in the textbook did not suffice the weightage of marks, an examinee has to refer to what has been witnessed in recent times in context," said Gitashree, the social science teacher at Apeejay, Sheikh Sarai.
Asked if the textbook reference was enough to answer the six marks question, the controller of examinations, CBSE Pavnesh Kumar said, "The paper was absolutely fine. The students should have written what was mentioned in the textbook."
Another question which puzzled the students was the one carrying four marks asking for the <b>difference between Kathak and Kathakali dance forms.</b>
"The textbook lines only mentioned the state of origin of these two dance forms which should not have weighed more than two marks. The students did not know what to write for four marks as the difference between the two was not explained elaborately," said Usha Ram, the principal of the Laxman Public School.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Commie and Congress will never ask question -List drawback of Socialism or failure of Socialism or 1984 Riots or How to make mockery of Indian Consitution?