Plea against CBSE grading system for students dismissed

Updated on: Monday, September 05, 2011

A plea by some senior secondary schools, challenging the CBSE decision to introduce grading system to evaluate Class IX and X students from academic year 2009-2010 was dismissed by the Delhi High Court.

Turning down the plea by Independent Schools Federation of India, a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said the court would not like to interfere with the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) decision which is a policy matter.

The high court's pision bench upheld the single judge's verdict which had endorsed CBSE's decision saying the education regulatory body had consulted the experts from the field of education before introducing the new methodology.

"This court is not an expert to judge the decision of CBSE that has been arrived at after undertaking detailed exercise. It is a policy decision relating to education," the bench said.

Dismissing the schools' counsel's arguments that the CBSE decision was arbitrary and unconstitutional, the court said "we are unable to persuade ourselves to accept the submission of the petitioner counsel that the circular introducing the new methodology of CBSE invites the frown of Article 14 of the Constitution of India being unreasonable and arbitrary."

The court accepted the regulatory body's reasoning for introduction of grading system saying CBSE had intended to make the system more effective.

"The whole endeavour has been to improve the system of education and reduce the load on the students and to make the system more effective and productive in line with the global trend and the requirement of 21st century," the court said.

CBSE had in September 2009 introduced the grading system in schools, abolishing the board examinations for class IX and X for academic year 2009-10.

The schools had, however, challenged the notification saying that in the name of holistic approach, CBSE had adopted a short-cut method which was "unfair and arbitrary".

After their representation for review of the decision was rejected by CBSE, the schools had approached the HC's single judge who too had dismissed their plea.

Plea against CBSE grading system for students dismissed

More Education news