The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced a special assessment policy for Class 12 private candidates in seven Gulf countries after board examinations were cancelled due to the ongoing tensions in West Asia. The new evaluation method aims to ensure that affected students receive their results despite being unable to appear for the scheduled examinations.
The Centre informed the Supreme Court about the decision and stated that the policy was issued on June 21. The revised assessment scheme will apply to private candidates located in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The move comes as a relief for students whose examinations could not be conducted because of the prevailing situation in the region.
Under the newly announced framework, CBSE will calculate marks using a 40:60 formula specifically designed for private candidates.
According to the policy:
CBSE explained that this method has been adopted because private candidates do not have access to school-based evaluation records such as internal assessments, practical evaluations or pre-board examination scores, which are often used in alternative assessment methods for regular students.
The issue came before the Supreme Court after a student from Saudi Arabia raised concerns regarding the non-declaration of his Class 12 improvement examination result.
The petitioner argued that while results for regular students had already been processed, private candidates affected by the cancellation had not received similar clarity regarding their evaluation and results.
During the proceedings, the government informed the court that the student's result had already been worked out using the newly approved assessment formula and had been communicated to him.
The Centre also clarified before the court that students who are dissatisfied with the marks awarded under the special evaluation policy will not lose the opportunity to improve their scores.
Authorities informed the court that such candidates would be permitted to appear in the next CBSE board examination cycle.
Following the submission, the Supreme Court disposed of the matter. However, the court granted the student the liberty to pursue other legal remedies in accordance with the law if he wished to challenge any aspect of the decision.
The newly introduced evaluation formula is expected to provide relief to affected private candidates while ensuring that academic progression is not disrupted due to circumstances beyond their control.
