ICSE exams: Court seeks more clarity from board

Bombay HC is hearing a petition challenging the Council's decision to conduct the exams in July. File pic

The Bombay High Court extended the deadline to let parents and students decide from two options - whether to appear for the exam in July or to opt for results through another process where scoring will be done based on internals and pre-board marks.

Instead of June 22, parents and students can now respond with the option of their choice by June 24. A circular regarding the same was issued by the Council of the ICSE to all schools, stating that no school shall force any student or parent to select either of the two options.

In a hearing on Wednesday, two points were raised by the petitioner Arvind Tiwari on Wednesday. The two points were where parents raised their concerns stating that they are still unclear about the method of scoring to be used for the second option and that many schools were forcing them to select the first option. The HC is hearing a petition by a parent against ICSE Board examination in the month of July, considering danger around COVID-19 infection.

"The pre-board examination marks cannot be considered for the final marks and there are several reasons for it - starting from how it is deliberately conducted at a very strict level in many schools to also how some may not have appeared for these exams for varied reasons. Several parents have already raised this issue. To add to it, it has come to the notice that several schools are forcing children and their parents to select the first option. Some concerned parents pointed it out with screenshots of such messages which I presented to the court," said Tiwari, who is also the lawyer himself.

Following this, the HC asked the Council to provide a clearer explanation of the method to be used for the second option and asked to extend the deadline to allow parents and children to make an informed decision.

With effect to this, a circular was issued by the ICSE, which stated, "It has come to the attention of the Council that candidates of some schools are being coerced into making a choice much against their wishes. Some complaints have been received by the council in this respect.

"This conduct by the schools is against the spirit and the intention of the Council's circular dated June 15, 2020. You are hereby called upon to refrain from indulging in such practices. The council will take appropriate action against schools which act in contradiction."

While parents along with the petitioner now wait to get more clarity on the methodology by the Council which is expected to provide details before the next hearing, the state government in the court has maintained its stand that it would not be feasible to allow ICSE to conduct exams in July considering the current COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra.

Jun 24
Day till which parents can make their final decision

Jun 22
Day till which parents were initially supposed to make their decision

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