Kerala SSLC Math exam controversy: Board stands firm, teachers demand revaluation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Pareeksha Bhavan (Examination Board) has announced that it will not alter the current answer key regarding the dispute over the valuation of the 18th question in the Class 10 Mathematics exam. Authorities explain that the answer key was prepared by the teachers who handle the subject, and therefore, there is no situation that warrants a change. However, a section of teachers and students argues that this decision is immature. They assess that the authorities' refusal to correct the error will adversely affect a large number of students.

Injustice pointed out by teachers

It is not fair to deny the full marks (4 marks) for the question simply because the student did not write the number '1' when starting the sequence. Even if one mark intended for the first part is deducted, if the student accurately demonstrates their knowledge in the remaining sections, they should be awarded marks for that. Students are successfully able to write the sequence of the remaining numbers that leave a remainder of one when divided by four, check whether it is an arithmetic sequence, and clarify the reason for it. Many students are also able to form a new sequence by adding two to the original sequence and can find its algebraic form. Denying the full 4 marks despite all this is unjust.

Will affect the future

Losing these 4 marks, which constitute about 5% of the total marks, could cause tens of thousands of students to drop by one grade, and thousands of students to miss out on an A-Plus. The stance of teachers' organisations is that a reconsideration is necessary, keeping the students' futures in mind.

Point to note

"The sequence '1, 5, 9...' is indeed the correct answer. When discussing a sequence of natural numbers, it must be written starting from the first term itself. The first term is the one that yields a quotient of zero and a remainder of 1 when divided by 4.

However, it is also true that students are likely to get confused. They might not realise that the sequence needs to start from the very beginning. The primary purpose of an exam is to test whether a student understands the concepts. Since they wrote the rest of the answer correctly, it proves they understand the core concept. Therefore, there is no harm in awarding marks. A policy decision is required for this."

— M.G. Radhakrishnan Unnithan

Mathematics Teacher, Gayathri Central School, Kayamkulam