CBSE Board Exam 2021: 521 students file intervention plea in SC

NEW DELHI: A group of 521 students has sought an intervention in the existing petition filed by advocate Mamta Sharma on the notifications related to the postponement of Class 12 board exams

The petitioner argued that the decision to hold CBSE Class 12 exam 2021 and the ISC board exam 2021 is “unjust and arbitrary”.

A division bench of the Supreme Court will hear a petition on the cancellation of the Class 12 board exams to be conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council For The Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) today.

The petitioners said that the decision to conduct the exam is in contradiction with the CBSE’s decision to cancel Class 10 exams which took into account “the safety and well-being of the students”.

The petitioners pleaded that the Class 12 exams be cancelled so that students will not be exposed to “a life threatening health hazard”. They also pointed out that the conduct of the examination will also expose the family members of the students to risk.

It was also pointed out that the vaccination group below the age of 18 years is yet to be affected.

CBSE Class 12 board exam

At the meeting with Union and state ministers on Sunday, May 24, the CBSE has suggested two options for holding the Class 12 board exams. The first was to hold exams in the regular format but in only 19 major subjects and marking students on the rest based on their performance in those 19. The second option was to alter the format of the CBSE Class 12 exam altogether -- hold shorter 90-minutes exams with objective questions and in the students’ own schools.

Following the meeting of education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ with other Union and state ministers, it appears most states are leaning toward the second option. However, large sections of students and the governments of a few territories, including Delhi, don’t want any exam at all. The original PIL was filed against holding exams.

CBSE had cancelled the Class 10 board examination on April 14 citing the safety of students and said that students will be marked on an “objective criteria”. It also postponed the Class 12 examinations to a date that will be decided after a review meeting in the first week of June.

Following the CBSE, CISCE also cancelled Class 10 exams and postponed the Class 12 exams to a date that is yet to be announced.

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