The Supreme Court of India has declined to alter the format of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) term 1 board exams despite a plea for a hybrid mode of exams (online and offline). The decision was made by a bench led by Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice CT Ravikumar on Thursday.
The bench emphasized the importance of allowing the educational authorities to proceed with the scheduled examinations, noting that any deficiencies in COVID-19 safety measures during the exams must be promptly addressed by the authorities.
CBSE term 1 exams are already underway, and CISCE exams are set to commence next week. The Supreme Court acknowledged the government’s efforts to enhance COVID-19 precautions, including increasing the number of exam centers from 6,500 to 15,000 and reducing exam duration to one and a half hours from the usual three.
Petitioners had argued that offline exams posed health risks, particularly for students with underlying health conditions, and advocated for a hybrid exam model to ensure better social distancing and reduced logistical strain. However, the court highlighted the substantial increase in exam centers as a measure to mitigate risks.
Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing the petitioners, contended that conducting offline exams increased the risk of COVID-19 transmission and posed health risks to parents accompanying students to exam centers.
In response, the Supreme Court emphasized that the current arrangements were aimed at safeguarding students and staff during the exams, trusting that the authorities would implement necessary precautions effectively.
