Bengaluru : The Karnataka High Court has overturned a single bench order that had halted the state government’s plans to conduct board exams for students of classes 5, 8, 9, and 11 in schools affiliated with the State Board.
A division bench comprising Justice K Somashekhar and Justice Rajesh Rai K allowed the state’s appeal and directed the government to conduct the remaining assessments for classes 5, 8, and 9. The board exams for Class 11 had already been completed during the litigation. The court has also instructed the state to consult stakeholders before notifying assessments for upcoming years.
Earlier, the Karnataka government had issued two notifications on October 6 and October 9, 2023, appointing the Karnataka School Examination & Assessment Board (KSEAB) as the competent authority to conduct the “Summative Assessment-2” exams. However, these notifications were challenged, leading to a single judge quashing them. The Division Bench stayed the Single Judge’s judgment, and subsequently, organizations of private schools and parents filed special leave petitions before the Supreme Court, which put a hold on the exams by setting aside the interim order.
In the appeal, the state government argued that board exams were in the students’ interest and that not conducting them would necessitate schools to devise their own exams, potentially lowering standards. The Additional Advocate General, Vikram Huilgol, representing the State, argued that the notifications quashed by the single judge merely designated KSEAB as the competent authority to conduct the exams, and the Government Order dated November 16, 2023, actually declared the intent to hold board exams for classes 5th, 8th, 9th, and annual examinations for class 11th for the subject academic year.
The court’s decision emphasizes the importance of following due procedure and consulting stakeholders in matters affecting education policy and assessments.
