CBSE not to conduct Class 10, 12 exams scheduled in July, Centre tells Supreme Court

The Central Board of Secondary Education has decided to cancel the exams of Class 10 and 12 scheduled from July 1 to 15 in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, said the Solicitor General in the Supreme Court on Thursday, LiveLaw.in has reported.

CBSE will conduct examinations when conditions are conducive, the SG told a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna.

The SG added that a scheme has been set up where class 12 student will be assessed on the basis of last 3 exams.

Student will have option to opt for exam to be conducted later.

The development has happened in the hearing of petitions filed by a group of parents who challenged the CBSE move to conduct the remaining board exams in July.

On June 23, the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) had informed the Supreme Court that a decision for conducting this year's class 12 board examination would be taken later in the evening.

The apex court had further granted the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) the liberty to follow the decision taken by CBSE or the Centre accordingly, albeit with slight modifications.

The plea, filed by advocate Rishi Malhotra on behalf of the parents of students scheduled to appear for the exams, challenged the decision of the authority to conduct the remaining examinations from July 1 to July 15 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that the same is arbitrary and in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution of India.

On June 17, the Court had directed CBSE to hold consultation and take a decision in the following week regarding the conduct of the remaining Board exam papers and to examine whether marks could allotted on the basis of internal assessment.

Examinations in 25 other foreign countries, wherein CBSE has a presence, have been cancelled, and the same standards should apply in India in light of the growing concern over the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the plea stated.

Furthermore, as multiple universities have also cancelled their exams, CBSE should consider doing the same, the petitioner averred.

“…the University of Delhi has cancelled their first year and second year undergraduate examination by stating that the same is not feasible during COVID-19 times. Similarly, even the premier institutes like IIT across the country has also cancelled all its exams including those of final year students because of the said situation. The state of Maharasthra has also cancelled all University exams including their final year examinations," it said.

The plea, claiming that there is no surety on whether the COVID-19 situation is going to get better by July 2020, averred that the constant postponement of examinations and the delayed declaration of results will inflict irreparable loss to the students who have secured admissions in International universities.

Additionally, there exist various practical difficulties which have not been taken into account, such as the movements of students residing in containment zones and the unavailability of private vehicles for all students, thereby restricting their movement.

Therefore, the plea prayed for the quashing of the notification by CBSE and sought directions to the Centre and CBSE to declare the results on the basis of internal assessments.