‘Education reduces women’s fertility’: Odd MPSC Prelims questions draw criticism

NEW DELHI: Two questions asked in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission Provincial Civil Services (MPSC PCS) Prelims exam 2024 have sparked controversy and drawn criticism from academicians and some political leaders. Questions on reduction of fertility amongst women due to education and on drinking alcohol with friends have gone viral on social media.

One question in the recruitment exam held on December 1 read “Education for women reduces fertility due to” and students were given four options: (a) Education improves work opportunity for women, (b) Educated women want their own children to be educated, (c) Education and literacy make women more receptive to information about contraception, and (d) Improving economic condition of women.

Another question stated: “Your friends like drinking alcohol and influence you to do the same. If you don't want to go with them and to keep yourself away from the habit of drinking alcohol, what would you do?” Candidates were asked to opt from the following options: (1) I will tell my friends that my parents have forbidden me to drink alcohol. (2) Will refuse to drink alcohol. (3) Will drink alcohol only because your friends are drinking. (4) Will refuse and lie to them that you have liver disease.

A competitive exam coordination committee defended the commission and said it has all the rights to ask any question. “Doubts are being raised about one question of MPSC. Even people who have never studied MPSC are talking about it. The question asked is from the CSAT paper. The commission has the full right to ask such questions to test the decision-making, intellectual level of the candidates. Now we can see the intellectual level of those who have raised doubts on this question,” the committee said in a Marathi post on X.

MPSC Prelims

Previous state education minister Varsha Eknath Gaikwad, on the other hand, criticised the administration for reducing women to mere sources of producing offspring and demanded an apology. “This is an MPSC question paper which is echoing the Manuvadi idea of looking down on women's education as an impediment to their fertility, reducing women to just their wombs. Before anyone comments that this is just a grammatical error and a bad translation, please keep in mind that this is an exam conducted to choose future administrators of our progressive state that has always followed the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar, is such language then acceptable? The MPSC must unconditionally apologise and take action against those responsible for setting and issuing this paper,” she posted.

Nationalist Congress Party member asked in a post, “Did the MPSC question paper come from the union headquarters?”

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Dhananjay Shinde also said, “The examination paper directly confirms the humanistic notion of women's education as a hindrance to their fertility.”