Conduct boards for classes 5, 8 & 9 as scheduled: HC

BENGALURU: The summative assessment (SA)-2 or board examinations for classes 5, 8 and 9 can go on as slated from March 11, 2024.
The clarity came as a division bench of the high court on Thursday stayed the operation of a single bench's order that had on Wednesday quashed the notifications issued for the conduct of the examinations.
Soon after the division bench order, the department of school education and literacy said the common assessment will be held as scheduled.However, the Recognised Unaided Private Schools Association, one of the parties before the court, said it will move the Supreme Court on Saturday against the high court order.
The division bench comprising Justices K Somashekar and Rajesh Rai K said in its interim order, "The assessments are scheduled to commence for classes 5, 8 and 9 on March 11 and the timetable for the same was published on December 13, 2023 itself. The proposed assessment has already been conducted for class 11 and the competent authorities have undertaken all the preparatory activities for the conduct of the proposed assessments."
"In such circumstances, if the single bench order is not stayed, the same would prolong the present situation of uncertainty, virtually on the eve of their examination, which is extremely detrimental to the student community," the division bench said adding that the interim order has been passed without expressing anything about the merits of the case.
Citing procedural defects such as non-prior notifying of rules about changes in the examination system, the single bench had quashed the notifications issued on October 6, 2023, and October 9, 2023. The state govt had immediately moved its appeal before the division bench.
In his submissions, additional advocate general Vikram Huilgol told the court all arrangements have been made for the examinations and 8 lakh students of private schools and over 20 lakh students of 42,250 govt and 2,660 aided schools will be affected by the single bench's order.