Board Exams: Kerala High Court Nod To State's Decision Scrapping Grace Marks This Academic Year

The Kerala High Court on Thursday agreed with the Government Order scrapping the policy of awarding grace marks to students in Grade 10th and 12th in the State Board examinations, for the academic year 2020-2021. 

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly after hearing the parties agreed with the Government Order and disposed of a batch of petitions challenging the State decision.

Grace marks are generally awarded for extracurricular achievements such as Scouts and Guides, Student Police Cadet, National Cadet Corps, Junior Red Cross, State Youth Festival, National Science Fair, Sports and National Service Scheme.

Earlier this year, the Directorate of General Education had issued a letter dated 29th June 2021 declaring its decision to not award grace marks to students appearing for State Board Examinations, considering that the schools had remained closed in the academic year owing to the pandemic.

Consequently, aggrieved students had moved the Court requesting its interference in the matter. 

A students' organization based in Kerala, had also filed a PIlL on behalf of the students aggrieved by the decision of the State General Education Department.

Advocate Manas P. Hameed represented the petitioners before the Court.

According to the petition, the SPC, NCC, JRC, and the Scouts and Guides had helped the authorities contain the pandemic. The petitioners submitted that they had played a crucial role in providing services to the needy during the lockdown in the wake of the national crisis that followed the outbreak of Covid-19.

Hence, they asserted that the decision of the State was arbitrary and unsustainable for the reason that the said disciplined voluntary organizations conducted several programmes amidst the pandemic.

They further contended that the government was responsible to inform such changes well in advance, at least before conducting the final examination, if not at the commencement of the academic year.

The Union also submitted that students who had worked hard for the grace marks were now undergoing 'mental agony' due to this sudden change in policy.

However, the State justified its move citing that schools had remained closed during 2020 -2021 owing to the pandemic and hence extra-curricular activities were purportedly not conducted during the said academic year.

Case Title: Kerala Students Union v. State of Kerala & Ors.

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