Demanding action against those responsible, Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Sunday said casteist slurs were used in the question paper for the primary teacher recruitment examination conducted by the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) on Saturday.
Through a statement, Mr. Gautam condemned the use of the words by the DSSSB in the Hindi language and comprehension section.
He said he would meet Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash to demand an internal inquiry and an FIR against those responsible for including the words.
He added that the DSSSB worked under the Lieutenant-Governor through the Services Department, which is not controlled by the elected representatives.
Mr. Gautam said if a question asked in the examination to recruit teachers who will shape the future of students used such words, then the teachers’ lessons would also.
‘Inadvertent error’
Responding to the criticism, a statement issued by the Directorate of Information and Publicity said, “It has been brought to the notice of the DSSSB that in the recent recruitment exam for the post of MCD Primary Teacher, post code 1/18, a question having castiest undertone appeared due to an inadvertent error. In this regard, it is clarified that the procedure of paper setting is highly confidential and secretive in nature and the contents of the paper are not shared with the board officials.”
The statement added, “The appearance of any such question which may have unintentionally hurt the sentiments of any section of society is deeply regretted. During the evaluation process, this question shall not be evaluated for the purpose of preparation of results.”
The statement further said that the DSSSB was taking corrective measures in order to sensitise the paper setters to make sure such an incident does not happen again.
