Common assessment for govt, pvt school students impossible: Private Schools to Karnataka HC

BENGALURU: Arguing against the 'Board' assessment for students of classes 5 and 8, the Organisation for Unaided Recognised Schools and the Registered Unaided Private Schools’ Management Association on Tuesday told a division bench of the High Court of Karnataka that the syllabus in Government and private schools are different.

A single bench of the High Court had already quashed the circulars on the Board assessment issued by the Education department. This has been challenged by the department before the Division Bench. Arguing before the bench of Justice G Narendar and Justice Ashok S Kinagi, the counsel for the private schools said that the circular said that the test papers were prepared as per the syllabus prescribed for the Government schools and therefore students from private schools would find it impossible to answer.

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It was pointed out that while the private schools had 40 pages of history syllabus, it was 80 pages in Government schools. Even the teaching methodology was different and therefore it was not prudent to conduct a common assessment.

The bench was also informed that the single judge bench found that the procedure as per the Right to Education Act was not followed while announcing the Board level assessment for Classes 5 and 8 by calling for public consultation. The Bench adjourned the hearing after directing the Education department to file a detailed affidavit on the objections raised.

A single judge bench of Justice Pradeep Singh Yerur on March 10, set aside the circulars dated 12.12.2022, 13.12.2022 and 04.01.2023 issued by Commissioner of Public Instructions and the Department of State Education. The assessment exams for classes 5 and 8 were to start from March 13.