On Monday, March 27, the Supreme Court rejected a petition by schools challenging the Karnataka High Court order allowing students to take Classes V and VIII assessment exams. Additionally, the exams began on Monday, March 27, as the top court was hearing the petition.

Around 17 lakh students wrote their first assessment across the state. With the exams deferred, preparations were underway to print and distribute question papers to students at the school level. Meanwhile, the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) stated that the assessments will be used to gauge how much a student has learned in the academic year and if there are lapses, rectify them.

What did the apex court say?

The Supreme Court stated that the government had already taken the decision to conduct the examinations. The school organisations stated that the government had not taken into consideration the opinions of stakeholders while taking the decision, and had chosen to announce the assessments only towards the end of the year, without any clarity on the syllabus. However, the court dismissed the petition and refused to stay the high court order, which had given a green light for the assessments, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.