Bombay HC Directs Maharashtra Govt To Clarify Stand On ICSE Board Exams Amid Covid-19 Scare

Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government to clarify its stance over ICSE board exams being held in July as the coronavirus crisis remains on the rise.

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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday has asked Maharashtra Government to clarify its position on permitting ICSE board exams to be held in July.  ICSE had decided to conduct pending exams of Class 10 and 12 in from July 2 to 12 but as Coronavirus cases continue to rise that has become a major concern. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice S S Shinde told the government to not be ambiguous with its call and decide on the basis of how many candidates are going to give the exams. If there a few candidates then the exams can be conducted. Many exams were put on hold after Coronavirus crisis led to a lockdown. School Boards have revealed how they plan to conduct pending external assessments. Mumbai resident Arvind Tiwari had filed a petition challenging the board’s decision stating that with Covid-19 cases and fatalities are on the rise, it is better to opt for alternative assessments like past performance internals instead of risking exposure by conducting exams. Petitioner Mr. Tiwari told the court that the board had conducted exams in Karnataka, and 24 students from a school had to be quarantined after the father of one of the students tested positive for coronavirus. ICSE had informed the HC that it plans to offer 2 options to students: first is to sit for external exams and the second for those who don't wish to sit for exams, is to be ranked on the bases of pre-board exams/internal assessment. The bench then asked the board to provide its methodology for the alternate grading for students who opt not to appear for the exams. For this, the board asked for more time to submit its plan. Then the court told the government to reveal its stand. It said the government cannot adopt a wait and watch stand, and directed it to file an affidavit clearing its stand on the issue. "What is the government’s stand if 50 percent of the students from ICSE schools opt to appear for the examinations physically...what if the percentage of students is higher or lesser?," the court said, and posted the matter for further hearing on Wednesday. As per data submitted by the ISCE board, there are 226 schools in Maharashtra affiliated with it, and 23,347 students are scheduled to appear for the Class 10 examinations. (With agency inputs) WATCH | Three Chinese projects come to a halt in Maharashtra