Karnataka HC announces cancellation of board exams for Classes 5,8,9 and 11

The Karnataka High Court invalidated a government notification mandating state-level board exams for Classes 5, 8, 9, and 11, following a petition by private school managements. The court emphasized the need for school-level assessments aligned with continuous and comprehensive evaluation principles

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday quashed a government notification concerning state-level board examinations for students in Classes 5, 8, 9, and 11. The court's ruling came as a response to a petition filed by private school managements challenging the necessity and implications of such examinations.

What Private School Managements Said

Private school managements contested the government's decision to hold public examinations for the specified classes, arguing that such assessments should be conducted at the school level, as had been the established practice. The petitioners raised concerns regarding the compatibility of these exams with the principles of continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE) mandated by the Right to Education Act (RTE) for these grade levels.

Private unaided schools contended that conducting board examinations for these classes would present challenges for students, particularly those from private institutions, due to differences in the curriculum followed by government and private schools. The petitioners argued that the question papers for these exams might include content not covered in the regular syllabus, further complicating matters for students.

State Government's Position

The government maintained that the question papers for the examinations would align with the learning recovery (Kalika Chetarike) program, a component of the curriculum aimed at enhancing learning outcomes among students. Officials emphasized that the program was designed to complement the existing syllabus and did not deviate from it.

Karnataka High Court's Decision

A bench led by Justice Ravi Hosamani, which was hearing the case, overturned the government's notification. The court ruled in favour of the arguments presented by the private school management, endorsing their stance that board examinations for these classes should not be mandatory and should instead be administered at the school level.

The legal battle echoes earlier disputes over the introduction of board-level assessments for Classes 5 and 8. Last year, the Karnataka High Court invalidated circulars issued by the Education Department proposing board-level assessments for these grades. Despite subsequent modifications to the proposals, challenges persisted.