CBSE Frames Evaluation Policy For Gulf Exam-Hit Candidates

New Delhi: The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that the CBSE had framed a new policy for evaluating private candidates affected by the cancellation of Class 12 board examinations in Gulf countries due to the recent regional conflict.

A bench of Justice S.V.N. Bhatti and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the policy, notified on June 21, provides a uniform framework for similarly placed students.

He said a distinct formula had been devised for private candidates, under which marks for subjects where examinations could not be held would be assessed based on Class X performance and the last attempted Class XII board examination.

According to the policy, marks would be calculated with a weightage of 40 per cent from theory marks in the Class X board examination and 60 per cent from theory marks in the last attempted Class XII examination.

The Centre said two categories of students were affected by the cancellation across seven Gulf countries — regular students and private candidates — with the latter posing a challenge due to the absence of internal assessment records.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Pransu Jigarkumar Patel, a private candidate from Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia, who had challenged the non-declaration of his improvement examination result under the earlier evaluation scheme.

The petitioner had argued that while the March 27 scheme covered regular students, it did not address private candidates, resulting in his result being marked “Result Later”.

Mehta told the court that under the new policy, the petitioner’s marks had been assessed and communicated to him via email, and would also be reflected in DigiLocker. He added that dissatisfied candidates could appear in the next regular examination.

Counsel for the petitioner acknowledged that the result had been declared but sought protection of the right to obtain answer scripts and seek re-evaluation as per CBSE rules.

The bench noted that no such relief had been sought in the petition and said it could not grant relief beyond the pleadings. It disposed of the matter, granting liberty to the petitioner to pursue remedies in accordance with law.

The CBSE had cancelled Class 12 examinations in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE due to the conflict in the Gulf region.