CBSE, ICSE exams 2022: SC to hear plea seeking to conduct exams in hybrid mode today

The Supreme Court will on Monday hear the plea regarding the demands of students for conducting the CBSE and CISCE term-1 exams 2022 in hybrid mode. CBSE and ICSE students on social media have been demanding to conduct the classes 10 and 12 first term exams on both offline and online modes. The matter will be heard by a Bench comprising Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice CT Ravi Kumar.

The time of the hearing is not yet known. The hearing can commence anytime soon in the afternoon today. This year, CBSE and CISCE will conduct the board exams twice a year. The subjects have been divided into two parts: Major and Minor. CBSE has already released the date sheet for conducting the term-1 exams 2022. The CBSE class 12 exams for minor subjects will begin tomorrow, November 16 and the class 10th exams will begin on November 17. CISCE has also released its schedule for conducting the first semester exams for class 10th and 12th students. 

What's in the plea?

According to the plea filed by students, since the major subject exams are spread over three weeks in December 2021,  the petitioners are at great risk of contracting Coronavirus infections. The plea said, "Preceding the exams for major subjects in December 2021 are the exams for Minor subjects in November 2021 in physical mode, further aggravating the likelihood of turning the exams for Major subjects into a Super Spreader Event". Advocate Sumanth Nookala representing a plea filed by six students said that prolonged exposure through offline exams will increase the risk of Coronavirus infections and is also a violation of the Right to Health. The plea added that the online option will facilitate social distancing and will further decrease strain on logistical constraints. The petitioners have argued that students must be given a valid choice and their consent to conduct exams must be taken. Further stating that it must not happen again, plea mentioned, “Many students have reported that consent is being secured by resorting to misrepresentation and coercion".

ICSE Board Exams 2021

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) had earlier announced to conduct the semester exams for ICSE and ISC students in an online mode. However, after receiving several requests from the parents of some students demanding to conduct the exams in offline mode, the CISCE took a u-turn. Some of the major concerns raised by the parents were the non-availability of devices, irregular power supply, and network and bandwidth problems. The latest official notice issued by CISCE states that the ICSE, ISC Semester 1 exam will be held in offline mode and will begin in November 2021. The Class 10 Board Exams will start on November 29 and ISC Class 12 Board Exams will begin on November 22.