A fresh legal storm is brewing around the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is likely to be filed, questioning the fairness of its examination pattern. The controversy revolves around allegations that question papers across different sets varied significantly in difficulty level, leaving students at the mercy of chance rather than preparation. Educator Prashant Kirad has emerged as the face of this protest, claiming that such disparities amount to academic discrimination.
At the heart of the issue is a larger debate about standardized testing systems in India.
While multiple question paper sets are commonly used to prevent cheating, critics argue that inconsistent difficulty levels defeat the purpose of a fair examination system.
Allegations of unequal difficulty levels
Prashant Kirad, a teacher, has become the voice of this protest, alleging that these inequalities constitute academic discrimination.
The bigger debate lies at the core of the problem with regard to standardized testing systems in India.
Although it is a common practice to use various sets of question papers to ensure that cheating does not occur, critics note that unequal difficulty levels will kill the essence of an examination system that is fair.
Claims of disproportionate levels of difficulty
The first differences were observed, as Kirad indicated, in the Class 10 Mathematics examination, where students observed extreme differences in sets of papers. Respondents said that some of their papers were moderately difficult, and others said that they had sets involving high-conceptual knowledge generally found in competitive entrance examinations like JEE Main and JEE Advanced.
The uproar came back in the Class 12 physics exam, and the debate intensified even more. Kirad posited that students who had studied hard were disadvantaged in case they were unlucky and were given a more difficult paper set.
In a viral video that has been actively spread on social media platforms, Kirad came right out to the board, CBSE, telling it, “We are filing a PIL against the board to seek a response against the unfair practice of setting question papers.
Initially, it occurred in Class 10 Mathematics, where certain sets were simpl,e and others demanded knowledge of JEE Main and Advanced. This time round, it is the Class 12 Physics paper, which has gone through the same thing.
He also added that students would spend months of study time only to be uncertain of their scores once the exams come because it is not possible to predict the changes in difficulty of the papers.
Challenging the multiple set system
The other key issue brought up in the discussion is that, in case the difficulty levels are not carefully standardized, it is necessary to have multiple sets of question papers.
Kirad challenged the old tradition of producing numerous amounts without strict difficulty adjustment.
He said, why make a lot of sets when they are not relatively assessed in terms of their difficulty level? This has been the case over the years, and such a big disparity in difficulty has hardly been witnessed before.
Education researchers mark that several sets can be used to avoid the occurrence of cheating, but they must be moderated by advanced statistical and pedagogical means to make sure that they are done fairly to the student groups.
Request for grace marks
Kirad has also insisted on remedial action to students who were affected. He called upon CBSE to think of giving official clarifications and even giving grace marks to those students who were given relatively difficult question papers.
In his statement, he wanted CBSE to issue an official statement that claimed the grace marks to the students who were made to sit the hard set or, rather, made direct teachers to use the easy standards on marking.
Students and parents voice concerns
The scandal has resonated with students and parents, most of whom have complained about the unreliability of exams. Through the discussions presented on social media, students have expressed emotions that the hard work should be compensated equally, irrespective of the distribution of papers.
A number of students have also demanded increased transparency when it comes to the question paper setting process, and one such suggestion is that difficulty mapping should be openly published following examinations.
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