SC/ST’s Teachers’ Association on Monday, filed a police complaint against a racist question in DSSSB PRT exam. They have demanded the removal of the chairperson¬†of the board.
Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB)¬†conducts recruitment exams for the Delhi government.¬†On Saturday, it administered an exam for hiring primary school teachers. The¬†multiple-choice question number 61 in Hindi language and Comprehension included derogatory terms for describing the Dalit community. It was reportedly ‘racist’ as well as ‘misogynist’. Moreover, it is highly offensive to the Dalit community. ‚ÄúWe are upset over the insensitivity of the board and we demand an apology from them. It‚Äôs highly irresponsible of them to use such casteist language in a teachers‚Äô recruitment exam,‚Äù a candidate said.
Hansraj Suman, President of DU’s SC/ST’s Teachers’ Association, accused the board of deliberately using disrespectful remarks. In a statement, he said that the question could have been in any form but the board showed its mentality by using displeasing words. He filed a complaint at Maurice Nagar Police Station on Monday.
DSSSB, however, articulated that the racist undertones appeared due to an ‘inadvertent error’. They apologised for ‘unintentionally’ hurting the sentiments of Dalits. As per the DSSSB statement,¬†the¬†question will not be considered in the evaluation process.
They added,¬†“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. They are revealed for the very first time before the candidates only”.¬†Nevertheless, they are taking steps to sensitise paper setters to avoid any such controversy in the future.