Karnataka minister Madhu Bangarappa clarifies, 'No board exams for classes 5, 8 and 9'
Karnataka's Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa announced that there will be no board exams this year for classes 5, 8, 9, and 11, following a Supreme Court directive. Instead, schools will conduct Summative Assessment-2 and annual exams, easing pressure on students amidst ongoing legal challenges from private schools.
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FollowKarnataka's School Education and Literacy Minister, Madhu Bangarappa, confirmed that board exams will not be held this year for students in classes 5, 8, and 9 of both government and private schools, as well as for class 11 students in PU colleges. This decision follows a directive from the Supreme Court.
Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha, the Minister explained that instead of board exams, Summative Assessment-2 (SA-2) will be conducted at the school level for classes 5, 8, and 9, while an annual examination will be held for class 11. These assessments will take the place of board exams, easing pressure on students and ensuring they are evaluated without the stress associated with formal board examinations.
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Bangarappa further elaborated on the situation, stating that the Supreme Court's decision comes in response to an appeal filed by private school organizations, which questioned the government's move to conduct board exams for these classes. "During the hearing, the Supreme Court directed that the board examinations should not be conducted. Based on this, we have withheld the results from last year and revoked the earlier order regarding the conduct of board exams," he stated.
An affidavit has already been submitted to the court on this matter, and the Minister confirmed that the board exams will not be held this academic year either. He also highlighted that the government had taken several measures to improve the transparency of board exams in other grades, such as introducing full CCTV coverage and webcasting in exam centres to prevent any malpractice.
In an effort to alleviate student anxiety around board exams, the government had initially planned to prepare common question papers and conduct board-style exams for classes 5, 8, 9, and 11. However, private school associations have launched legal challenges against this initiative, resulting in a prolonged court battle.
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The Karnataka High Court's single-member bench had earlier quashed the board exam order, a decision later upheld by a two-member bench. Dissatisfied with this outcome, private school organizations escalated the matter to the Supreme Court. Bangarappa assured that the state government will comply with the final ruling issued by the apex court on this matter.
The Minister reaffirmed that reform efforts in other grades will continue, but for now, classes 5, 8, 9, and 11 will follow internal assessments, providing students with a more relaxed academic evaluation process.Â
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