Controversy erupts over PSEB's Class XII Political Science Exam

Students and teachers in Ludhiana are expressing frustration and disappointment following the recent Political Science exam for Class XII conducted by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB). Allegations have surfaced regarding the inclusion of out-of-syllabus questions and a departure from the expected format.

Discontent among Students and Teachers

The discontent arises from a mismatch between the prescribed syllabus, the format of the sample papers, and the actual questions asked in the exam. Teachers note that the absence of anticipated short-format questions, such as fill-in-the-blanks and multiple-choice questions (MCQs), has exacerbated the situation, leaving students struggling with unfamiliar content and formats.

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Unexpected difficulty and shortcomings in the Exam

Typically, an 80-mark question paper would include around 35 short-format questions. However, the recent Political Science exam reportedly featured only one fill-in-the-blank question and four MCQs, falling significantly short of expectations. This deviation from the norm has added to the challenges faced by students during the examination.

According to Vinita, a political science lecturer at Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS), Cemetery Road, even high-achieving students found themselves perplexed by the unexpected nature of the questions. Several chapters from the syllabus were allegedly not represented in the question paper, further contributing to the confusion among examinees.

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Baljit Singh, the District Coordinator of Political Science and a lecturer at Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS), Ghalib Kalan, highlighted the inadequacy of textbooks provided by private publishers, which failed to adequately cover the questions asked in the exam. Singh, along with lecturers and district coordinators statewide, has appealed to exam authorities for the provision of grace marks to compensate for the unexpected difficulty faced by students.

Overall, the controversy surrounding the PSEB Political Science exam in Ludhiana underscores the need for alignment between prescribed syllabi, sample papers, and the actual examination content to ensure a fair and standardized assessment process for students.