CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has refused to interfere with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)’s revised scheme of weightage of term-I and term-II examinations held by schools affiliated to the latter. The Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangha (OAM) had filed a PIL challenging the criteria adopted under the revised scheme on the ground that it would adversely affect the students.
While disposing of the petition, a division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Chittaranjan Dash said during the 2021-22 academic session, around 14 lakh students appeared for the CBSE Class-XII Board Examinations, whose results were prepared and declared in accordance with revised weightage formula.
“Therefore, in the greater interest of the students at large and to ensure that justice does not in itself become an agent of chaos, this court is not interfering with the revised scheme of weightage of term-I and term-II examinations dated July 23, 2022”, the bench said on Tuesday.
There was a complete closure of schools during the pandemic -November and December, 2021. In view of it, CBSE shifted the weightage of term-I and term-II exams under the revised scheme notified on July 23, 2022.
Under the scheme, the weightage was shifted to 30:70 for the two terms. In other words, CBSE decided by means of a circular dated March 31, 2022 that 30 per cent weightage would been given to term-I marks and 70 per cent to term-II marks.
The court said the fact of the matter is that though the petitioner organisation has ascertained while there may be a section of students aggrieved by the changed criteria of the CBSE, it has not been able to persuade such students to come forth to implead themselves as petitioners.
“The petitioner counsel candidly states that those students may be apprehensive of the result of such challenge to the changed criteria. With the aggrieved students not being prepared to come before this court as petitioners, this court is not inclined to entertain the present petition in the current form as a PIL”, the bench observed in its order.
“Nevertheless, it will be open to the aggrieved students if any to seek relief in appropriate proceedings, including approaching the CBSE”, the bench said.