The Supreme Court on Monday criticized the Karnataka government for conducting board exams across multiple classes and ordered a stay on the declaration of half-yearly examination results for students in Classes 8, 9, and 10 until further notice.
A bench comprising Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma reprimanded the state, questioning its approach towards education and student welfare. “Why are you harassing the students? You are the state. You should not behave like this. Don’t make it an ego issue,” the bench admonished. It urged the Karnataka government to focus on establishing better schools instead of imposing such exam burdens.
The bench further emphasized that no other state follows Karnataka’s education model, expressing concern over its distinct approach. Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, representing the state, informed the court that the government had retracted its decision to hold board exams for Classes 5, 8, 9, and 10 in seven rural districts for the current academic year.
However, the court was informed that the exams had already been conducted in 24 other districts. The state has been given four weeks to file an affidavit providing detailed information about the examination process.
This legal battle stems from an appeal filed by the Organisation for Unaided Recognised Schools challenging a Karnataka High Court ruling from March 22. The high court’s division bench had allowed the state government to conduct these board exams, overturning a previous ruling from March 6 by a single-judge bench that had invalidated the government’s decision.
The case remains under the Supreme Court’s scrutiny, with the next steps pending further orders.
(With inputs from PTI)