BHOPAL: MP Board of Secondary Education sparked a controversy after it asked two questions on ‘Azad Kashmir’ in social science exam for class 10 on Saturday.
In one of the two questions, students were asked to mark Azad Kashmir in the map while in second question word Azad Kashmir was to be paired. It needs to be mentioned that the word Azad Kashmir is used by Pakistan while India calls it POK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir).
As the matter came to light, student wing of RSS, ABVP burnt effigy of Kamal Nath government. BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agarwal said that such language is spoken by the separatists. This is not a mistake but well thought strategy.
As the news spread, a statement was issued by CM Kamal Nath and school education minister Prabhuram Chowdhary that action will be taken against the guilty. It was followed by suspension order of two teachers.
Nitin Jat, teacher posted at Government Girls School Raisen, was found guilty primarily for setting the paper and suspended. Another teacher Rajnish Jain posted in Tendukheda in Narsinghpur district was also found guilty. Jain was moderator of the question paper- which means that he had to cross check the questions.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) too has shot a letter to the MP Board seeking explanation in the matter. The NCPCR has almost chided the MP Board saying, “Such questions are potentially misleading which can negatively influence the minds of children since ‘Azad Kashmir’ is not a constitutionally approved term.”
The NCPCR has given a week’s time to board officials to file a detailed report in the matter.
