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  India   All India  24 May 2017  Delhi HC to CBSE: Change grace marks policy next year

Delhi HC to CBSE: Change grace marks policy next year

THE ASIAN AGE.
Published : May 24, 2017, 1:54 am IST
Updated : May 24, 2017, 1:54 am IST

As per rules, marks are given to students for difficult questions or errors.

Under the moderation policy, grace marks are given to students in exams for difficult questions or errors in the question paper.
 Under the moderation policy, grace marks are given to students in exams for difficult questions or errors in the question paper.

New Delhi: The evaluation for the Classes 10 and 12 board tests this year will be done as per the grace marks policy that was in vogue when the students submitted the examination forms, the Delhi high court ordered on Tuesday.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Pratibha M. Singh refused to allow the CBSE to withdraw its moderation policy for the exams held this year, saying “rules cannot be changed after the game has begun”.

Under the moderation policy, grace marks are given to students in exams for difficult questions or errors in the question paper.

The court said the students who took the exams “ought to have been put to notice” as they have the “right to know” what the CBSE was doing. These children, who have worked so hard, and have burnt the midnight oil, are entitled to some stability and the only stability they know is the system. Do not instil insecurity in them. Don’t do it (withdrawal of the policy) this year,” the bench said.

“You cannot play with the future of students,” it said, adding “We are deeply concerned by the timing of the policy”. The court said while the CBSE’s decision was “wonderful” as it was attempting to bring uniformity in the evaluation process to address the issue of “spiking” of marks, it “should have been done prospectively and uniformly for everyone across the country”.

The ruling assumes significance as some states, like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, have decided not to withdraw the moderation policy this year. Another “distressing” factor was that the CBSE had “completely ignored” the fact that conditional admission had been offered to Indian students by foreign varsities on the basis of the evaluation policy in place while it decided to withdraw the moderation policy.

It said the students who would have got such offer would have taken loans and made payments and if the policy is withdrawn, it would cause “grave and irreparable financial loss” to the children.

“It cannot be denied that a change in policy can have drastic consequences. Grave and irreparable financial loss may also inure to the students,” the bench said, adding that it may also “completely change the course of academic future of students, especially those of Delhi.” The court said it “would be a tragedy” if the CBSE students lose out on seats in foreign varsities to children from other countries because of the change in policy.

Tags: cbse, delhi high court
Location: India, Delhi, New Delhi