ICSE class 10 Kannada question paper riddled with errors

‘There were 200 mistakes as some characters were missing in the 11-page paper’

Students at an SSC examination hall in Hyderabad.

Class 10 Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) students in the State who had opted for Kannada as their second language were stumped when they saw their question paper on Thursday. The paper was riddled with errors as some of the characters in the script were missing.

Shobha G., whose son appeared for the exam, said, “There were over 200 mistakes as some of the characters were missing in the 11-page question paper. Students had to make the corrections in the question paper which took almost 25 minutes. Moreover, it was a board exam and there was so much confusion for the students,” she said. “Is this the importance that the council gives to a language? Was there no expert to proof read the paper?”

Another student said those who opted for Kannada would be at a disadvantage when compared with their peers who opted for other language papers. “We plan to write to the council and urge them to be lenient during evaluation,” a student said.

The Hindu accessed the question paper and found some glaring errors. For instance, the anusvara was missing throughout the question paper. Students had three hours to attempt the 80-marks paper.

Gerry Arathoon, chief executive and secretary of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, said the council was investigating into the matter. “We have sought a report and we will soon decide the next course of action,” he said. Baragur Ramachandrappa, Kannada writer and chairperson of the textbook revision committee, said the glaring errors reflect the laxity on part of the council. “It is extremely irresponsible on part of the council ...,” he said.