A question in the Board of Secondary Education, Assam’s Class 10 social science examination caused a stir Friday, with a section of social media users calling it divisive. In response, the state’s education minister has claimed the question was meant to test if students knew that India is a secular country.
The question in SEBA’s social science examination for Class 10 students held Thursday asked: “Suppose, the government has set up a hospital in a village called Dambuk. The hospital provides free treatment to the Hindus. People of other religions have to bear the cost of treatment themselves. Can the government take such measures in a country like India? Give your opinion”.
The question carried three marks. After a section of social media users claimed that it promoted religious divisiveness, Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu responded by calling the debate “unnecessary.”
“The Preamble of the Constitution does not allow any discrimination. Without discriminating against anyone, we are carrying out the policy of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas’. Now, the question is to test whether students have that information or not, that in Assam, there is no discrimination allowed on the basis of religion, caste or language. There is nothing to get offended about or debate on,” he said.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com.
