New Delhi, June 26 : The Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) on Friday told the Supreme Court that they will declare the results of Class 10 and 12 board examinations by July 15.
A Bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar approved a CBSE scheme under which remaining examinations for class 10 and 12 scheduled from July 1 stand cancelled. It allowed CBSE to issue a notification in this regard on Friday.
The ICSE counsel told the Bench that it has agreed with the scheme framed by CBSE in this regard. However, ICSE will give the option to both class 10 and 12 students to take examinations at a later stage when the COVID-19 situation improves.
ICSE clarified that it will follow a slightly different assessment scheme than that of CBSE for awarding marks to students and it will be notified within a week.
ICSE said it may conduct optional exams even for Class X students as its marking criteria is slightly different from CBSE.
The top court said CBSE may even decide in the future not to hold the optional examinations for Class 12.
It turned down a suggestion to fix a deadline for students to decide whether or not to sit for the optional examinations.
The order came on petitions filed by Col. Amit Bathla, Poonam Singla, Charu Singh and Sunitha—whose children happen to be Class 12 students—against the May 18 CBSE notification that announced a fresh schedule for holding examinations for remaining papers.
Worried about community spread of COVID-19, the petitioners wanted the top court to direct CBSE to scrap its decision to hold examinations of remaining papers between July 1 and 15.
They had demanded that results should be declared “on the basis of examination already conducted and to calculate it on an average basis with the internal assessment marks of the remaining subject.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said there should not be any deadline for students to decide since the decision is pro-students.
“If exams are conducted at any time in future, let the students take a call at that point in time,” he said.
At the very outset, the Bench took on record CBSE’s draft notification and expressed satisfaction over it.
Mehta told the court that CBSE’s decision was pro students.
Petitioners’ counsel Rishi Malhotra said CBSE should give a timeline by when students can opt for examinations.
“It’s also possible that CBSE may decide the situation is not conducive to hold exam at all,” the Bench noted.
CBSE had on Thursday told the court that it has decided to cancel the remaining Class 10 and Class 12 examinations scheduled to be conducted between July 1 and July 15 due to COVID-19 pandemic. ICSE had decided to follow suit.
However, the top had sought further clarifications from CBSE on the option of examination for Class 12, date of publication of results, state board examinations and new academic year and said it would pass an appropriate order on Friday after perusing an amended draft notification prepared by CBSE.
