New Delhi: All eyes are set on the Supreme Court as it will resume its hearing on a plea seeking cancellation of Class 12 board exams conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). Earlier on May 28, a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari had asked petitioner Advocate Mamta Sharma to serve the advanced copy of the petition to respondents including Centre, CBSE, and CISCE, and had listed the matter for Monday, 11 AM. “Conducting Class 12 board examinations online or offline not feasible because of an unprecedented pandemic. Delay in the declaration of Class 12 results will hamper students taking admission to foreign universities. CBSE and CISCE must devise an objective methodology to declare the results within the specified time else it will affect nearly 12 lakh students”, the petition filed by Sharma said. It contended that notifications issued by CBSE and ICSE deferring the exams to an unspecified date should be quashed, adding that students cannot be subjected to suffer uncertainty amid unprecedented public health crisis.
Besides, the apex court will also take up another plea filed by Tony Joseph, a Kerala Teacher against the cancellation of class 12 board exams. “Class 12 exam is an integral part of the life of a student and important for admission to higher educational institutions….” the petition said.
07:05 AM: Last year, amid the pandemic the Supreme Court had asked boards to determine and declare Class XII exam results on the basis of earlier assessment of students.
07:00 AM: Marking students on basis of their previous results of class 9, 10 and 11 are on the cards, reports stated. On Saturday, CISCE asked its affiliated schools to submit data including the average of marks obtained by Class 12 students in class 11 and in the current session. While there is no clarity from the board, this move came as a huge hope for students demanding cancellation of exams.
06:59 AM: Reports have claimed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council For The Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) are contemplating various options, including cancellation and adopting an alternative assessment route or going ahead with the exams in a shorter format.
06:57 AM: “Be optimistic. Maybe by Monday (May 31), some resolution will be there,” Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari had told the petitioner Mamta Sharma on Friday.
06:55 AM: The crucial SC hearing comes a day before the CBSE is expected to its decision regarding the conduct of Class 12 Board Exams on June 1.
