The Karnataka High Court has initiated a change in the State's educational system by calling off board exams for Classes 5, 8, 9, and 11. This action follows protests from private unaided schools, who argue that the proposed board exams are not aligned with the continuous evaluation method under the Right To Education Act (RTE) 2009.
President of the Registered Unaided Private Schools Association, Lokesh Talikatte, has highlighted the discrepancy between the CCE framework endorsed by RTE and the board exams put forth by the Karnataka State Examination and Assessment Board. Talikatte states that CCE encourages a comprehensive evaluation approach, emphasizing ongoing assessments at the school level, whereas board exams introduce external pressures that can impede students' educational advancement.
This decision marks a pivotal moment in a series of legal disputes concerning the implementation of board exams for lower grades. Previous government efforts, such as the implementation of centralized annual exams for Classes 5, 8, and 9, have encountered resistance from private school associations and legal battles in the Karnataka High Court.
In a comparable instance in the previous academic year (2022-23), the Karnataka High Court permitted the government to hold board exams for students in Classes 5 and 8, albeit with specific conditions. The court instructed the government to guarantee that exams are in line with the prescribed syllabus and to offer necessary assistance to students who do not pass, without detaining them.
