A teacher who prepared the question paper for a quiz competition held at schools in Kasaragod, Kumbla and Manjeshwaram sub-districts has been suspended. The development came after a controversy erupted during a ‘Freedom Quiz‘ conducted on August 6 at schools across the three sub-districts.
Following the directions of the General Education Minister, the Director of General Education suspended Guru Prasad, a teacher at AUPS Pallathadka in Kumbla sub-district, pending an inquiry.
According to the Kerala Education Minister’s Office, one of the questions in the quiz was allegedly framed in a manner that could spread misleading and historically unsupported information.
Row Over Question On Veer Savarkar
A massive row erupted in Kerala over a question in a school quiz on Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar, describing him as a freedom fighter “who received the most severe punishment from the British”.
In view of the incident, the Kerala Education Ministry, in a statement directed the Director of General Education to find out who set the paper and conducted the quiz, prompting stringent action against those responsible.
The question on Savarkar featured in “Freedom Quiz”, conducted on August 6, for lower primary students in schools in the Kasaragod, Kumbla and Manjeshwar sub-districts.
According to news agency PTI, the state Education Minister’s office said that the quiz was not part of the activity calendar of either the Social Science Club or the General Education Department, and neither had authorised anyone to prepare the questions or conduct the competition independently.
What Was The Question
The disputed question asked was: “Who is the freedom fighter who received the most severe punishment from the British?”
Veer Savarkar was the answer for the above-mentioned question.