Supreme Court to Review CBSE's Evaluation Policy for Gulf Students
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a petition on Monday challenging the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) assessment scheme for Class 12 students in Gulf countries. The board had cancelled their examinations due to the Iran-US conflict and introduced an alternative evaluation policy on March 27.
Last week, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre and the CBSE, informed a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and P B Varale that the board would file its response to the petition. The court then scheduled the next hearing for this week.
On July 8, the apex court had agreed to examine the petition filed by 30 regular students from Gulf countries. The students argue that the assessment policy is arbitrary and unfair. The court had issued notices to the Centre and the CBSE, directing that a copy of the petition be served on the Solicitor General.
The CBSE had cancelled the Class 12 board examinations for students in the Gulf region due to the heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, which disrupted normal academic activities. The alternative assessment scheme was designed to evaluate students based on their performance in internal assessments and pre-board exams.
The petitioners contend that this method does not ensure uniformity or fairness, as different schools may have varying standards for internal assessments. They have sought a direction for the CBSE to adopt a more transparent and equitable evaluation process.
