PSEB exams begin today, students yet to receive history textbooks

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 23

Though the midterm examinations of schools affiliated to the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) are set to begin from Monday, students of classes XI and XII are yet to receive textbooks of history.

The PSEB had uploaded composition of 11 chapters of history for classes XI and XII on its website, but failed to put chapters online. The Board has, so far, released only three chapters for Class XII and one chapter for Class XI on its website.

The alteration of history books for classes XI and XII snowballed into a major controversy after several political parties and organisations, including SAD-BJP, pointed out distortion of facts and deletion of Sikh chapters in the revised syllabus.

In the past also, teachers and students expressed concern over the timely release of chapters, but to no avail. “We have been asking the Board to release the chapters on time or else keep the old syllabus for this session so that students can be taught the chapters without confusion. Is this the time to fiddle with the career of the students who will appear for Board exams?” said a teacher.

“Till now, only one chapter has been released for Class XI. Imagine what the 90-mark question paper in the midterm exam will contain?” the teacher added.

It is learnt that students have written to their teachers for the change of subjects. At Guru Teg Singh Bahadar School, Ludhiana, a student had requested to change the subject from history to sociology, a copy of which is with The Tribune.

However, Punjab Education Minister OP Soni did not answer calls, despite repeated attempts.

The exams, which will begin on Monday, will continue till October 6.

Ex-minister attacks Congress

• Attacking the government for its ‘apathetic’ attitude towards students, Daljit Singh Cheema, former education minister, said, “The present government is playing with the students' career. All meritorious students study half of the syllabus during vacation. The officials concerned should be chargesheeted and suspended for the same. They should have allowed the previous syllabus for the current session.” 
• He said there were several factual errors in the third chapter of Class XII history related to Guru Arjan Dev.