In eye of storm over textbooks, JKBOSE goes 'option less' in question paper

Srinagar, February 18: Already in the eye of the storm over the textbook fiasco, the JK Board of School Education (BOSE) has once again faced criticism after the class 10th students complained that they faced a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) in the Social Science paper with all the wrong options.

The students said the MCQ had no correct option available, leaving them in a state of confusion during the exams.

The move comes at a time when the JKBOSE is in news has already invited ridicule for a copy-paste change in a Class 10 textbook wherein it has replaced "state of body" with "UT of body" in the class 10th textbook titled “Disaster Management and Road Safety Education.”

The class 10th examination commenced on February 17 of 2025 the students appeared in the exams to write the social science paper.

However, the mistake made by the paper setter has exposed the non-seriousness of the JKBOSE and the standard of the subject experts invited for setting of question paper for the examination.

In the said MCQ, the paper setter had posed a question for the student that "Who was the first president of the Indian National Congress (INC)."

The four options available in the question were A.O. Hume, Mahatma Gandhi, S.N. Banerjee, and Lala Lajpat Rai.

However, the subject experts said that none of the options was the correct answer to the question saying that Womesh Chandra Banerjee was the first president of INC in 1885.

"No doubt the Indian National Congress was founded by A O Hume, but the first president was Womesh Chandra Banerjee," a senior political science professor told Greater Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the students said such questions leave them confused in the examination centres as the staff in the examination centres feel helpless in such a situation.

"We do not understand why JKBOSE fails to maintain the sanctity and integrity of the exams," said Mehvish, a student from Srinagar.

Besides students, the parents also expressed their concern over the issue saying that besides its failure to do proof reading in textbooks, it seems the concerned officials do not bother to proofread the question paper as well.

Amid the concern, an official from the JKBOSE said in such questions the students are awarded the marks against the question even if they opt for any of the given options.

"Students need not to worry. If all the options were wrong then all the students will be awarded marks for the question," he said.

He further said that the person who has set the question paper will be disqualified from the panel of the paper setters for future.

"The JKBOSE has an internal committee which deals with such matters. The person in question will not even be paid the money for setting up this question paper for making such a mistake," the official said.