'Class 6 question paper' asking whether Dalits are untouchables sparks controversy
The MCQs, on Muslims and Dalits, reinforce stereotypes
New Delhi, Sep 7: A question purportedly in a class 6 exam asking whether Dalits are untouchables has sparked a controversy in Tamil Nadu, with the paper going viral on social media.
Though the question paper was being circulated on the Internet as linked to one of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan schools, the KVS termed the paper fake, and the Central Board of Secondary Education said it has no role in setting question papers for internal exams.
"Shocked and appalled to see that a Class 6 Kendriya Vidyalaya exam contains questions that propagate caste discrimination and communal division. Those who are responsible for drafting this Question Paper must be prosecuted under appropriate provisions of law," Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president Stalin said in a tweet.
The multiple-choice question asked what does the word Dalit' means and the listed options included foreigners, untouchables, upper class and middle class.
Question no. 17 read: “What do you mean by Dalit?” and choices for answers were: (A) Foreigners (B) Untouchables (C) Middle Class (D) Upper class. Question no. 18 read: “What is the common stereotype about Muslims?” and choices for answers were: (A) They don’t send their girls to school (B) They are pure vegetarian (C) They do not sleep at all at the time of Roza (D) All of them.
AMMK leader TTV Dinakaran issued a statement lashing out at CBSE saying, "I strongly condemn the CBSE for having a lesson on a sensitive topic without basic understanding on how it would impact the minds of the students".
"It is wrong to ask questions in this manner to young children. It sets a bad precedent. Action should be taken against people who have done this," he added.
The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan said it has noticed the fake question paper being circulated on social media claiming it to be of some Kendriya Vidyalaya in Tamil Nadu or Puducherry. "However no evidence has so far been brought to the notice of KVS which may establish that the question paper belongs to a Kendriya Vidyalaya," it said in a statement.
The CBSE said it does not set question papers for internal exams in "any class for any school". "It only conducts board exams for class 10 and 12. The said references to CBSE are therefore found incorrect and unfounded, a senior board official said.
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan also said its RO has reported that none of 49 KVs of Chennai region has prepared such questions.
"It is therefore to clarify that the said Question Paper is NOT related to any Kendriya Vidyalaya. Social media users are requested to refrain from spreading misleading messages."
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Nepal goes to polls in first general election since govt-toppling Gen Z protests last year
Kathmandu (PTI): Nepalese citizens on Thursday morning started to reach polling booths in all 165 constituencies amid tight security to cast their vote in the crucial general election, the first since a violent Gen Z protest that toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led government last year.
More than 18.9 million eligible Nepalese will be exercising their franchise to elect the 275-member House of Representatives from among the 3,406 candidates vying for 165 seats under direct voting, and 3,135 candidates vying for 110 seats through proportionate voting.
The voting started at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. The counting will start immediately after the ballot boxes are collected.
"Voting started in all the constituencies, including the southern plains, hilly area and the mountain region at 7 am," Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said.
“The election started in a peaceful environment across the country,” he added.
Addressing a press meet here on the eve of the polls, Acting Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari on Wednesday had said that all preparations for the election had been completed and urged voters to participate actively and enthusiastically in the democratic exercise.
In Kathmandu, the weather was fine, sky was clear and people were enthusiastically queuing up to cast their votes.
The Gen Z youth, through their two-day intensified protests on September 8 and 9, ousted Prime Minister Oli, chair of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) -- CPN-UML -- who was heading a coalition government with the backing of Nepali Congress that enjoyed nearly two-thirds majority support.
After Oli's ouster, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives on September 12 and appointed Sushila Karki as the caretaker PM.
The major issues raised by Gen Z are anti-corruption, good governance, an end to nepotism, generational change in political leadership, etc.
Starting Wednesday, Nepal has declared a three-day holiday for the polls.
There are a total of 10,967 polling booths and 23,112 polling centres, the Election Commission data showed. As many as 65 political parties are taking part in the election.
