High Court seeks response from CBSE on use of calculators in Class 12 exams

The Delhi High Court has sought a response from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), and the Central Government regarding a petition seeking permission for students to use calculators in Class 12 board examinations. The court has issued notices to all these authorities to submit their responses within six weeks.

According to an ANI report, a joint bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin V. Manzil and Justice Sanjay Sharma heard the matter. The petition primarily seeks permission for the use of basic and non-programmable calculators in the Class 12 Accountancy examination. Additionally, it has requested an investigation by a committee of experts on whether calculators should be permitted in Mathematics examinations.

The petitioners argued that students have to spend a significant amount of time manually solving long mathematical calculations in Accountancy and Mathematics papers. Consequently, students are left with less time to demonstrate their understanding of the subjects and apply the concepts they have learned. The petition states that performing long calculations leads to a waste of time and affects the students' performance.

The petition also mentions that the CBSE Curriculum Committee had approved a proposal regarding this during its 70th meeting. This meeting was held on November 25 and 26, 2024, in which the committee approved the use of basic and non-programmable calculators in the Class 12 Accountancy examination. However, the High Court has not yet granted permission for the use of calculators and is awaiting responses from the authorities.

According to the petitioners, permitting calculators is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework 2023 for school education. These policy documents emphasize conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking skills over rote learning and memorisation. The use of calculators would allow students to save time on calculations and focus on the depth of the concepts.

Furthermore, the petition stated that a detailed representation regarding this proposal had been made to the CBSE and other relevant authorities, requesting a response. However, as no reply was received within the stipulated timeframe, the Delhi High Court was eventually approached. The court has now ordered all parties to respond within six weeks so that further proceedings can take place in the matter.

If this permission for calculators is granted for Class 12, the question also arises whether it can be extended to Class 10 students. Currently, court proceedings are ongoing, and a decision will be taken only after the responses from the authorities.