New CBSE Assessment Policy for Class 12? Board Announces Evaluation Method for Gulf-Based Private Students

The Central Government informed the Supreme Court on Monday that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has formulated a new evaluation policy for private candidates whose Class 12 board examinations were disrupted due to the cancellation of examinations in several Gulf countries amid the recent Iran–US conflict. The new framework aims to address the concerns of students who were unable to complete all their examinations after the board cancelled certain papers because of the security situation in the region.

The development came during a hearing before a bench comprising Justices S V N Bhatti and Vipul M Pancholi. Representing the Centre and CBSE, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that a nationwide policy had been introduced to provide a uniform mechanism for evaluating private candidates affected by the cancellation of examinations across Gulf countries due to the regional conflict.

According to the government, the revised policy was formally notified on June 21 and introduces a separate assessment formula specifically designed for private candidates. Officials explained that, unlike regular school students, private candidates do not have access to internal assessment records such as unit tests, quarterly examinations, half-yearly assessments, or pre-board scores, making it difficult to apply the evaluation mechanism that had originally been prepared for regular students.

Under the newly notified system, marks for subjects in which examinations could not be conducted will be calculated using a combination of past academic performance. The evaluation formula provides that 40 per cent weightage will be given to theory marks obtained in the candidate’s Class 10 board examination, while the remaining 60 per cent weightage will be based on theory marks secured in the candidate’s most recent attempt at the Class 12 board examination. This formula will be applied only to those subjects where examinations had to be cancelled.

The government further explained that two categories of students were affected by the cancellation of examinations in seven Gulf countries—regular school candidates and private candidates. While regular students could be assessed through available school records and internal evaluations, private candidates lacked such supporting academic data, necessitating the creation of a separate evaluation model.

The issue came before the Supreme Court through a petition filed by Pransu Jigarkumar Patel, a private candidate from Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Patel had challenged the non-declaration of his Class 12 improvement examination result and argued that CBSE's earlier assessment framework covered regular students but did not clearly address the situation of private candidates appearing for improvement examinations. According to the petitioner, this omission resulted in his result being withheld under the status "Result Later" (R.L.), adversely affecting his academic plans and higher education opportunities.

Patel informed the court that he had appeared for Physics and Chemistry examinations, which were conducted successfully, while examinations in Mathematics, English, and Computer Science were cancelled. Consequently, the marks for Physics and Chemistry were awarded based on actual examination performance, whereas the cancelled subjects were assessed under the new evaluation methodology introduced by CBSE.

During the hearing, the Solicitor General informed the court that Patel's revised result had already been prepared under the new policy and that the marks awarded were higher than those obtained in his previous performance. He added that the result had been communicated to the candidate through email and would also be made available through DigiLocker. The government further stated that candidates dissatisfied with the marks awarded under the assessment formula would have the option to appear in the next regular examination cycle.

When the bench sought clarification from the petitioner's side regarding whether his concerns had been addressed following the issuance of the new policy, advocate Vineet Jindal acknowledged that the result had been declared. However, he requested that the court safeguard the candidate's right to seek copies of answer scripts and pursue re-evaluation in accordance with CBSE regulations.

The Supreme Court observed that the original petition did not contain any specific prayer seeking access to answer scripts or re-evaluation rights. The bench noted that relief beyond the scope of the petition could not be granted and subsequently disposed of the matter after recording the submissions made by the government. At the same time, the court granted liberty to the petitioner to pursue any remedies available under law if he continued to have grievances regarding the result.

The examination disruption stemmed from the cancellation of Class 12 board examinations in seven West Asian countries—Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The examinations were cancelled as a precautionary measure amid escalating tensions in the region.