Amidst Covid-19 pandemic, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court to repeal the notification from Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to conduct the remaining examinations of Class 12 from July 1 to July 15. Through the petition, concern regarding the safety of lakhs of students in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic has been raised.
The petition is filed by parents of some students seeking a direction to the CBSE for the purpose of declaring the results on the basis of finished exams.
The petition raised concern regarding the safety of lakhs of students, saying they might be exposed to COVID-19 infection. It urged the Supreme Court to revoke the May 18 notification of the CBSE through which the date sheet for remaining exams of Class 12 was declared.
The petitioners asserted that they will demonstrate to the court the “extent of discriminatory and arbitrariness conduct of the respondent/CBSE in issuing the notification for holding of the remaining examination and that too in the month of July 2020 wherein as per the AIIMS data, the said COVID-19 pandemic would be at its peak,” reports, The Hindu.
“Ensuring proper cleanliness and safety standards as prescribed by the concerned government in COVID-19 situation in those 15,000 exam centres spreading over length and breadth of the country including rural sectors would not only be risking health and life of children but also would be an exercise in futility and an eyewash,” the petition asserted.
The petition also alleged that considering the gravity of COVID-19 pandemic, the CBSE has cancelled the examinations of Class 10 and 12 for its around 250 schools situated abroad. It has adopted the mechanism of awarding marks on the basis of either practical exams conducted or the internal assessment marks.
“It is highly regretful that the respondents (CBSE and Ministry of Human Resource Development) herein have no genuine concern about putting the lives at peril of all the students pan India and have no explanation whatsoever in insisting upon holding the said examination in India,” claimed the petition.
