Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has invalidated the practice of conducting joint examinations for students from class one to eight, ruling that a uniform question paper contradicts Section 29 of the Right to Education Act, which covers curriculum and evaluation policy. This policy, implemented in 2022, was deemed detrimental to students’ rights.
The court noted that imposing a common examination could cause undue stress on young students, preventing them from expressing their opinions freely. The government had previously mandated the examinations through Classroom Based Assessment (CBA), but these orders have now been cancelled.
High Court Judge V. Sujatha delivered the judgment, addressing concerns raised by the Andhra’s Learning Transformation Program (SALT). This program had required all private educational institutions in the state to conduct formative and summative examinations with a common question paper and associated fees, as per orders issued by the Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) in October 2022.
The decision was challenged in the High Court by the chairman of the United Private Educational Institutions Federation and the secretary of another educational institution. Their counsel, Matukumilli Srivijay, argued that the joint examinations violated the Right to Education Act. Judge Sujatha concurred, stating that private schools should not fall under the SALT program.
The court reiterated that, as per Section 30 of the Right to Education Act, students do not need to pass a board exam until the completion of elementary education. Conducting simultaneous exams with a uniform question paper was likened to a board exam, which is not required under CBA procedures.
