10 Things To Know About Controversial CBSE Passage

A controversial passage by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) about the "effect on children on the emancipation of woman" has been pointed out by the Lok Sabha MP Sonia Gandhi during the zero hour of the winter session in Parliament today. The passage has taken Indian social media by storm as well. In the aftermath, the education board has decided to pull down the exam question and award full marks to all the students.

The passage from the Class X term examination on English language and literature, held on December 11, 2021, has been withdrawn by CBSE now. The passage pointed out how people were slow to observe that the emancipation of the wife destroyed the parent’s authority over the children. Here is what we know about the Controversial CBSE Passage.

10 Things To Know About Controversial CBSE Passage:

1. The controversial passage was published by CBSE for the Class X First Term examination for English Language and Literature Paper.

2. The examination was held on Saturday, December 11, 2021, and the issue was pointed by Member of Parliament, Sonia Gandhi in Parliament today.

3. The content of the passage was "What people were slow to observe was that the emancipation of the wife destroyed the parents authority over the children ..... In bringing the man down from his pedestal the wife and mother deprived herself, in fact, of the means of discipline."

4. There was wide outrage regarding the statement that such an example is a mark of gender insensitivity. Here the word "emancipation of wife" seems to point to the past societal structure wherein man was considered the bread earner and wife's role was limited to the household chores and raising the children.

5. On December 13, Member of Parliament Sonia Gandhi brought the passage in limelight during zero hours of the Parliament in session, blaming the text as "blatantly misogynist".

Suggested Reading:

Shocking. When The Internet Doesn’t Spare Even Those Grieving…

6. The Congress President asked the CBSE to withdraw the passage and issue an apology in this regard. She added that such standards of education and examination go against the norms and principles of an empowered society.

7. Sonia Gandhi also urged the government to make reviews on topics of gender sensitivity in the syllabus prescribed as well as for the examinations.

8. The opposition wanted a response from the government about the controversial CBSE passage. However, Om Birla, speaker of Lok Sabha that it was not a practice to respond to questions in zero hours of Lok Sabha after which the opposition parties staged a walk out of the room as a sign of protest.

9. However, after the discussion was over, CBSE issued a statement in this regard. It clarified that the question was not as per standards set up by the board. The committee of subject experts has decided to drop the passage from the paper.

10. The CBSE has also decided to award full marks to the students concerned for concerned passage in all the sets of the question paper.