Bhopal
The teachers’ association in Madhya Pradesh, India, has claimed that the term ‘Azad Kashmir’, which appeared in a question paper, was taken from the textbook.
The term appeared in the Social Science question paper of Class 10 at the examination held on Saturday. Two teachers were suspended by Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) after the incident was reported. The teachers who faced the axe were Nitin Singh Jat, who had set the paper, and question paper moderator Rajneesh Jain, a lecturer.
However, the teachers’ association blamed the authorities for highhandedness and demanded revocation of suspension. ‘The question asked was taken from the Social Science textbook. Hence, the teachers didn’t commit any mistake or offence. Since the students were taught social science from the same book it was nothing wrong or unusual that the questions were asked from the same textbook,’ said Madhya Pradesh Teachers’ Association President Lachhiram Engle.
As per MPBSE communique, ‘Azad Kashmir’ has used twice in the question paper in question numbers 4 and 26. ‘What was wrong in the term used? The teachers or board didn’t declare any part as Azad Kashmir through the question paper.
The term used was a part of an objective question which the students were supposed to answer. If the government or authorities had any objection on the term they should not have allowed the term to appear in the textbook in the first place. But in all such matters, only teachers are punished for no fault of theirs while the authorities responsible for the same go unpunished,’ said Madhya Pradesh Teachers Congress executive committee member Ashutosh Pandey.
It is worth mentioning here that the part of state of Jammu and Kashmir known as Azad Kashmir is called by India as ‘Pakistani occupied Kashmir [PoK]; however, for the past some period, it is repeatedly referred to Azad Kashmir, sometimes, in textbooks and at times in question papers. The fact is, Pakistan considers entire State of Jammu and Kashmir as disputed under UN the resolutions, while India, too is signatory to these resolutions.—KMS
