Social security pension scheme of Punjab government finds mention in Class V question paper, sparks row
The Hindu
One of the questions asked to the students was “What is this advertisement about.” Another question was “When the distribution of the hiked social security pension began.”
An advertisement and questions related to the social security pension scheme of the Punjab government found mention in an examination paper of Class V students, drawing sharp reactions from a teachers’ body and the Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and AAP. The government advertisement on raising social security pension was inserted in the Punjabi subject paper of Class V students and then questions relevant to it were asked, said a teacher on Monday. The exam for Class V, to prepare students for the National Achievement Survey (NAS), began on Monday. The NAS, aimed to assess learning achievement, is to be conducted in November.Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.