The question papers of various subjects in the open book examination for SSLC students conducted by the Zilla Panchayat and the Department of Education have been criticised by the parents of the students as the question papers contained silly mistakes.
The open book examination was conducted by the education department, with an intent to assess the level of understanding of lessons by the students. But, the purpose behind the exercise is lost, said the parents.
The question papers for the exams were prepared in the office of Deputy Director of Public Instructions (DDPI) and were sent to the schools through e-mail. The schools were asked to download the question paper, take the printout and make multiple copies to distribute among students during the examinations.
But, many aided and government schools have been facing the problem of fund crunch. This has compelled the teachers in such schools to write the questions on the blackboards, said the teachers.
Also, the mistakes in the question papers have pushed the teachers and the students into confusion. Typographical errors, incomplete questions and mismatch of question numbers are seen in the question papers. For instance, in the Science subject question paper, the phrase ‘Sunnada Kallu Kaayisidaga’ (‘when limestone is heated’) has been misspelt as ‘Sunnada Kallu Saayisidaga’, which gives a different meaning altogether (when limestone is killed).
The question paper of Hindi subject was handwritten. Also, in Mathematics, some diagrams and symbols were written by hand.
One of the parents said that when the teachers themselves cannot write sentences without mistakes, they should not expect the students to write properly.
DDPI P S Machado said that the open book examinations are being conducted to develop the practice of understanding the concepts among students.
Admitting that the question papers contained mistakes, he assured of conducting re-examination in the next 10 days, after rectifying the errors.