Team Herald
PANJIM: Class X students emerged from the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) Mathematics paper on Monday teary-eyed, but maths teachers from various schools expressed mixed views on the paper.
“The paper was a bit tough and some questions were application based and as a result of this many average students failed to interpret the questions. Most of the students were seen anxious outside the exam centres and you could clearly make out that the paper was not so good,” said a maths teacher from a reputed school.
But, even those who thought the paper was not too tough, felt that more time could have been given. “Just two or three questions which came were twisted and the rest of the paper was not that difficult. In my opinion a student could score at least 50-55 marks easily besides those application based questions. I felt that an extra time of 15 minutes was need for students to finish the entire paper,” another teacher said.
There had been tense moments outside many exam centres on Monday as students complained that the Goa Board Class X mathematics examination paper was extremely tough and lengthy.
Sources said that most students compared it to past papers and so did not focus on application based questions and that resulted in many failing to interpret such questions.
“I have seen the paper and it was from the prescribed syllabus, except for those few two or three questions. Students should focus more on scoring than referring to old question papers and then comparing it to this year’s paper. I definitely think that the paper was lengthy but not so tough. Those students who have practised all year round shall be in a position to solve this year’s maths paper without hassle,” another teacher said.
GBSHSE officials said they have started introducing application-based questions to facilitate students to prepare for completive exams across the country.
Meanwhile, a group of parents of students have decided to write to the Goa Board expressing their concern on the difficulty level of the maths paper and its consequences on students’ minds.
