What’s the story?
The Tripura government took a new route to publicity – the Class 12 board examination. The students writing the English exam on March 2 were given a comprehension exercise that needed them to read a passage which described the celebrations organised by the Manik Sarkar government to honour gymnast Dipa Karmakar.
The National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, has demanded the Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE), to step in and look into the matter.
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“The passage or comprehension that came in higher secondary board question paper only highlighted Left Front’s praise and what the government has given to Dipa Karmakar,” NSUI general secretary Rakesh Das said.
In case you didn’t know
Karmakar is the first Indian woman gymnast to compete in Olympics. She finished fourth in 2016 Rio games, a feat celebrated across India including her home state of Tripura.
The heart of the matter
Many questions were listed in the examination paper; most of them talked about what the government did to honour the 23-year-old gymnast, who is also known for being one of the five women in the world to perform the dangerous Produnova vault which can break the back if not executed properly.
A few questions which the students were expected to answer after reading the passage were,
- How long did it take for Dipa to climb up the dias?
- Which ministers were present in the stadium?
- In honour of Dipa a holiday was declared on August 23 at all educational institutions by?
- Why did Dipa apologise to the people?
- Which post Dipa has been promoted?
The passage began with a description of the atmosphere in the stadium where Karmakar and her coach were felicitated. It lists in great details the ceremony – presenting of bouquets by the sports department and the presence of the chief minister, education Minister and sports minister.
There was also a mention of the education minister announcing a public holiday on August 23.
Also Read: Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik slams Haryana government
What’s next?
Manik Sarkar is heading the Left government in Tripura for the last 20 years and was sworn in as the chief minister for the fourth term in 2013. The state is due for assembly election next year and it will be interesting to see if he gets as much support after being mocked for this incident.
Sportskeeda’s Take
While it is a great idea to educate children about sportspersons and their achievements, it is unfair to merge it with personal political benefits.
