NEW DELHI: A Class X English question paper of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) where comprehension passages spoke of “emancipation of the wife” destroying parents’ authority over children and how a wife’s authority depended on the “formal obedience” she gave to the husband, has created an uproar on social media.
Congress functionary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday tweeted an image of the question paper and wrote, “Unbelievable! Are we really teaching children this drivel?”
The passage in question spoke of how, a century ago, a wife’s subordination to the husband – “the master of the house” – would teach “children and servants” their place. “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. There was more room now for disagreement between the parents, enabling the child to appeal from one to another, eventually ignoring both. In bringing the man down from his pedestal the wife and mother deprived herself, in fact, of the means of discipline”, a section of the passage read.
The four options given to students to choose an appropriate title for the passage included options like “Who is responsible for indiscipline among children, Collapse of discipline at home, Place of children and servants at home and Child Psychology.” Several schools that TOI spoke to, however, said that they had not received this particular question paper set.
A senior CBSE official said, “A passage in one set of the English paper of CBSE Class X first term examination held yesterday has received mixed reactions from a few parents and students stating that “it seems to support regressive notions on family and allegedly promotes gender stereotyping”. The matter will be referred to subject experts for considered views as per the pre set procedures of the board.”
