Madras High Court slams Tamil Nadu government over plans to conduct board exams from June 15

The hearing was conducted after the Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary School Graduate Teachers Association approached the court seeking to prevent the State government from conducting Class X board exams starting 15th June.

A bench of the Madras High Court questioned the Tamil Nadu government on plans of conducting Class 10 board exams from June 15. The court said that when the state government has not decided to open schools and colleges until Covid-19 situation subsides, how can 9 lakh students, 2 lakh teachers and thousands of non-teaching staff be forced to risk their lives attending class 10 board exams from June 15. 

The High Court bench comprised of Justice Vineet Kothari and R Suresh Kumar who asked the government to state reason behind the hurry in conducting exams amid rising Covid-19 cases in the state. 

The hearing was conducted after Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary School Graduate Teachers Association approached the court seeking to prevent the State government from conducting Class 10 board exams starting 15th June.

The petitioner stated that the decision to conduct board exams from mid-June was taken in the month of May and it might have been under the impression that the Covid-19 situation would improve in the state. It was also stated that there were over 12,000 examination centers for Class 10, thus indicating the manpower required amid the prevailing scenario where Tamil Nadu has seen 31667 total Covid-19 cases of which 14396 are active, while the state has been seeing a daily increase of over 1000 cases for the last one week.

The Additional Advocate General responded saying that there appeared to be a meeting between the Chief Minister and School Education Minister regarding the same. 

The Court asked if there was any outcome from the meeting, adding that any decision on postponement of exams must be taken immediately without keeping parents and students on tenterhooks. 

The bench also lashed out at the State Government, saying that conducting class X exams were unlike re-opening of TASMAC(state-run liquor outlets) during the lockdown. “Can the state government give an undertaking that no student will get infected by Covid-19 if it is allowed to conduct the 10th grade board exams from June 15th” the bench questioned. 

Stating that it is well and good if the TN Government itself postpones the exams without letting the Damocles Sword hang over students heads till the eleventh hour. 

The High Court is to hear the case against Class 10 exams again at 2:30 pm and seek the response of the State Government, however the Court has said that it is Prima facie satisfied that the Government decision to conduct board exams from June 15th must be stayed.