-Dipta Joshi

The Delhi High Court  has issued a notice to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Delhi government on a plea seeking modification of its policy for the tabulation of marks for class X board exams, 2021 based on internal assessments conducted by schools affiliated to the board. The CBSE board’s policy (dated May 1) assesses class X students based on their previous year’s performance.

The Delhi High Court plea has been filed by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) – Justice for All, which seeks to change the board’s policy saying it is “unconstitutional and in violation of the provisions of Articles 19(1) (a), 21 and 21A of Constitution of  India.”

In view of the rising COVID-19 cases across the country, a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to cancel the CBSE class X board exams on April 14. The Centre assured students that results would be prepared on the basis of an objective criterion. However the board’s evaluation procedure insists schools use the past three years’ subject-wise averages as a reference point for moderating all 2021 assessments. The policy also states the overall school as well as student performance should not exceed the reference year’s average marks.

Referring to the evaluation process, Justice for All’s plea points out the policy is framed in such a manner that CBSE seems to be assessing the performance of the school for the last three years and not the performance of the individual students. The decision is unfair to the students and has triggered anxiety and stress within them for fear of being allotted lower marks that could impact their future admissions prospects.

However, even school principals and teachers are not happy about the current policy since it requires them and other support staff to attend school for evaluation related work despite many states being in lockdown. The board’s  policy directs affiliated schools to constitute a seven-member committee to finalise the Class X results. Further the board’s 21-page circular also mentions de-affiliation of schools that do not follow the evaluation process as laid down by the board.

The National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA), the largest alliance of 65,400 private schools across the country has already filed a writ petition before the Delhi High Court against the board’s marks tabulation policy for internal assessments. “While we are worried about the health and safety of our school staff, our surveys have shown that teachers find the current process difficult to understand. We want the board to modify the current policy and come up with one that provides a clear evaluation process. This will ensure CBSE students get fair results through impartial assessments. We are glad to see that even parents have come out to demand fair evaluation,” says Bharat Malik, head, Maharashtra chapter, NISA.

The division bench of Chief Justices D N Patel and Jyoti Singh hearing the plea has asked the board and the Delhi government to file a reply to the plea. The next hearing will take place on August 27 next.

Also read: Delhi HC directs CBSE to submit note on class X evaluation implementation