The Karnataka Government notified the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it has rescinded its decision to hold board examinations for Classes 5, 8, and 9 in three rural districts for the 2024-25 academic year. This announcement came during a hearing by Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma regarding an appeal from the Organisation for Unaided Recognised Schools, which challenged the Karnataka High Court’s March 22 ruling, as reported by PTI.
Previously, the high court's division bench had allowed the state government to proceed with board exams for Classes 5, 8, 9, and 11 for the 2023-24 academic year, reversing a single judge's March 6 ruling. That single judge had annulled the state government's October 2023 decision to conduct these exams through the Karnataka State Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB). However, on April 8, the apex court stayed both the division bench's order and a separate directive from the Karnataka School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Council issued on April 6 "until further orders."
“This is a classic instance where no one else but the Karnataka state government has sought to create havoc and great distress not only among students and their parents but also among teachers and school managements in the state,” the bench noted, as reported by PTI.
On Tuesday, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta informed the bench that the state government had withdrawn the notification.
Other States Conducting Board Exams for Students Below Class 10
Karnataka is not the only state with board examinations for students below Class 10. Several other states follow a similar pattern:
Rajasthan: The Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) conducts board examinations for Classes 5, 8, 10, and 12. In 2024, the Class 5 board exams were held from April 30 to May 4, and the Class 8 board exams took place from March 28 to April 4. The results were announced on May 30, 2024.
Punjab: Similarly, the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) conducts board examinations for Classes 5, 8, 10, and 12. This year, the Class 5 examinations were conducted from March 7 to March 14, 2024, while the Class 8 exams ran from March 7 to March 27, 2024. The Class 5 results were declared on April 2, and the Class 8 results were released on April 30, 2024. However, reports indicate that after five years of conducting Class 5 board examinations, PSEB has decided to scrap them. Starting from the 2024-25 academic year, the annual evaluation of Class 5 students will be carried out by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), as it was before the introduction of board exams. The Class 8 board examination will continue as planned.
Tamil Nadu: In 2019, the Tamil Nadu government announced plans to introduce board examinations for Classes 5 and 8, aligning with the draft of the National Education Policy. However, in 2020, the state government canceled this initiative after facing backlash from opposition parties, child rights activists, and educationists. The government decided to maintain the existing evaluation system, according to several media reports.
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Previously, the high court's division bench had allowed the state government to proceed with board exams for Classes 5, 8, 9, and 11 for the 2023-24 academic year, reversing a single judge's March 6 ruling. That single judge had annulled the state government's October 2023 decision to conduct these exams through the Karnataka State Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB). However, on April 8, the apex court stayed both the division bench's order and a separate directive from the Karnataka School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Council issued on April 6 "until further orders."
“This is a classic instance where no one else but the Karnataka state government has sought to create havoc and great distress not only among students and their parents but also among teachers and school managements in the state,” the bench noted, as reported by PTI.
On Tuesday, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta informed the bench that the state government had withdrawn the notification.
Other States Conducting Board Exams for Students Below Class 10
Karnataka is not the only state with board examinations for students below Class 10. Several other states follow a similar pattern:
Rajasthan: The Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) conducts board examinations for Classes 5, 8, 10, and 12. In 2024, the Class 5 board exams were held from April 30 to May 4, and the Class 8 board exams took place from March 28 to April 4. The results were announced on May 30, 2024.
Punjab: Similarly, the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) conducts board examinations for Classes 5, 8, 10, and 12. This year, the Class 5 examinations were conducted from March 7 to March 14, 2024, while the Class 8 exams ran from March 7 to March 27, 2024. The Class 5 results were declared on April 2, and the Class 8 results were released on April 30, 2024. However, reports indicate that after five years of conducting Class 5 board examinations, PSEB has decided to scrap them. Starting from the 2024-25 academic year, the annual evaluation of Class 5 students will be carried out by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), as it was before the introduction of board exams. The Class 8 board examination will continue as planned.
Tamil Nadu: In 2019, the Tamil Nadu government announced plans to introduce board examinations for Classes 5 and 8, aligning with the draft of the National Education Policy. However, in 2020, the state government canceled this initiative after facing backlash from opposition parties, child rights activists, and educationists. The government decided to maintain the existing evaluation system, according to several media reports.
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