The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the School Education Department to ensure that all those with physical or mental disabilities wanting to write the Class X examinations from September 21 as private candidates, as well as their scribes, are subjected to COVID-19 tests at least two days before the exams.
Justices M.M. Sundresh and R. Hemalatha also directed government officials to explore the possibility of letting the candidates and the scribes interact with each other through mobile phones or by maintaining a safe physical distance.
They said it would be difficult for those suffering from cerebral palsy to wear masks for long hours. Making it clear that their suggestions were only illustrative and not exhaustive, the judges left it open to the authorities concerned to put in place all mechanisms necessary to ensure the safety of the candidates as well as their scribes, invigilators and others involved in the examination process.
The directions were issued on a public interest litigation petition filed by Balakrishnan Subramaniyan, father of a 24-year-old suffering from cerebral palsy in Tiruchi.
The petitioner wanted the written examinations scheduled for private candidates between September 21 and 26 to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 threat.
Alternative mechanism
If the examinations for all private candidates could not be cancelled in toto, as had been done for regular Class X students this year, the government could be directed to devise an alternative mechanism for assessing the knowledge of the private candidates and awarding them the necessary marks, the petitioner said.
His counsel said countries the world over followed different means to assess knowledge, and that written examination was only one of the many possibilities.
The counsel wondered how the government could expect candidates with mental or physical disabilities to adhere to physical distancing norms when most of them require scribes to write their exams.
Noting that those who suffer from cerebral palsy and similar issues keep salivating frequently, he said it would be difficult for them to wear masks.
He contended that the government had decided to conduct the examinations this month without considering the special needs of those with mental and physical impairments.
