The Supreme Court said on Thursday that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) won’t be able to help the students taking compartment exams for class XII as it would be the colleges and universities that will take their admissions for higher studies.

The apex court made the statement while hearing a plea which has challenged the decision of the CBSE to hold compartment exams on the ground that it would be detrimental to the health of the examinees.

Compartment exams for Class XII are scheduled from September 22 to 29. Advocate Vivek Tankha, representing the petitioners, argued that by the time exams will be held, admissions for various undergraduate courses would be over.

He said students taking compartment exams would not get admissions in colleges and their whole year would be wasted.

The senior advocate argued that the CBSE could not hold main exams due to the COVID-19 pandemic and decided to declare results based on some “hybrid systems of evaluation” and due to this, many students are facing compartment exams.

“Something needs to be done” for the interest of the students, Tankha said.

“It is the colleges, universities and deemed universities which will be taking admissions of those students and the CBSE will not be able to help much the students taking compartment exams,” said the SC bench headed by  Justice A M Khanwilkar, PTI reported. 

The bench, also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna, said this after Tankha argued that the CBSE may ask the colleges to give provisional admissions or wait till results are declared for compartment exams.

The bench observed that compartment exams are being conducted “perhaps three times in a year.”

The top court said around 87,000 students have failed and the solution does not lie with the CBSE.

During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing, Tankha said the Centre and states could be served with a copy of the petition through standing counsel and attempts could be made to find an acceptable solution for such students.

“Don’t complicate it otherwise it will not come up for hearing,” the bench said.

The SC asked the petitioners to serve a copy of the plea to the Centre. The matter is scheduled for hearing on September 14.