After the cancellation of Class 12 examinations, the Supreme Court on Monday, 21 June, said that it will take up the matters challenging the assessment systems devised by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) on Tuesday.
The court further said that it has agreed with the boards’ schemes in principle but will “hear the petitioners before suggesting modifications".
The matter will be heard at 2 pm on Tuesday.
The court passed the order while it was taking stock of Class 12 exams by the state boards, following the cancellation by the CBSE and ICSE boards. The court was informed that Assam, Tripura, and Punjab have cancelled Class 12 state board exams in view of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Bar&Bench reported.
Following this, the court was intimated that there are writ petitions filed challenging the decisions taken by the CBSE and the ICSE regarding the assessment policies.
“We will examine points in both schemes. If there is some issue, we can understand, but we cannot go by the perception of someone,” the Court observed, as quoted by Bar&Bench.
Appearing for the Uttar Pradesh Parents Association, which has challenged the marking systems devised by the boards, Senior Advocate Vikas Singh said that there should be physical exams with double masks.
The New Marking Plan
The SC on Thursday, 17 June, had approved the assessment plans submitted by the CBSE and the Council for evaluation of Class 12 students.
For Class 12, the marks obtained in the unit, term, and practicals will be taken into account, and the results will be decided based on the performance in classes 10 and 11 (30 percent weightage), as well as one or more unit test(s), mid-term or pre-board examinations in Class 12 (40 percent weightage).
Meanwhile, for the Class 12 students of the CISCE board, the marking plan is largely the same as that for the CBSE. However, instead of three years, the board will be taking into account the performance in the last six years, the counsel told the SC.
The CBSE will declare results by 31 July, Attorney General KK Venugopal had told the court. The CISCE, meanwhile, has sought time till 20 July to publish the results but has also said that it will endeavour to release the results before that.
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