Anshika Tiwari –
The State government told the Karnataka High Court on Monday its mechanism for evaluating students of IInd year Pre-University Courses.
The government’s statement laying down a detailed promotion policy was submitted before a two-judge bench comprising of Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Hanchate Sanjeevkumar during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation petition filed by S.V. Singre Gowda, the managing trustee of Gnana Mandira Education Trust, Bengaluru.
The government said that it will promote the freshers of the course by distributing the weightage of marks in the following manner, 45% weightage to their SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) marks, 45% for Ist Pre-University marks and 10% for the internal assessment marks of II PU.
Also, according to the said policy, all repeaters will be passed by awarding them grace marks and adding them to the marks secured in the earlier attempt of the respective subject. Even the private candidates, appearing as repeaters will be declared passed in the same manner.
However, private candidates, who are appearing for the IInd Pre-University for the first time, will have to appear for a physical exam that would be conducted when the COVID-19 situation in the State eases down.
The state government had, in a notification dated June 3rd announced the rule to promote non-repeating and private students without holding exams.
Official reports estimated that around seven lakh such students will be benefiting due to the notification. However, around 95,000 students who are repeaters or private students will have to take the examination in future.
This decision of the Government laying down two different standards for students and classifying them differently for the purpose of promotion was ridiculed and termed as discriminatory.
The High Court of Karnataka had questioned this move and reprimanded the Government asking why it was prepared to compromise the health and safety of one class of students. The court asked, “How can you have different yardsticks for repeaters and private students and fresher students?”
The bench reportedly told the counsel orally, “You don’t mind risking the health of private and repeater students but freshers’ health you want to protect, everybody’s health should be protected or not? Or tell everybody to take the exam?”
On June 17, the court stayed the declaration of results of the II PU course until a methodology was devised for promoting repeat students. This, the court said, would be based on suggestions of an expert committee set up for the purpose.