Delhi High Court directs CBSE with notice regarding permission to use calculators in 12th-grade board exams

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has taken a significant step in preparing for board exams by publishing the schedule and guidelines for practical work, project assignments, and internal assessment for classes 10 and 12 for the academic year 2026-27.

This schedule applies exclusively to schools located in regions affected by cold weather and snowfall. Practical examinations in these schools are scheduled from November 9 to December 19, 2026. CBSE clarified that a separate circular with the schedule for practical sessions will be issued for regular schools.

The exams will take place from November 9 to December 19, 2026. It is important to note that this schedule is applicable only to schools in cold areas. Schools must contact their respective Regional Office to arrange external examiners and observers as needed.

To ensure process transparency, uploading a group photograph of each group via a special application link provided by CBSE is mandatory during practical assessments. Furthermore, CBSE has established strict rules: access to practical, project, or internal assessments will only be granted to students whose names are included in the final List of Candidates (LOC) submitted to the Board online.

CBSE strongly recommends that all educational institutions carefully cross-reference their lists with the official LOC. For Class 10, it has been stipulated that internal assessment will be conducted only once. Schools are required to complete the assessment of all students and upload the obtained scores to the Board's portal within the stipulated time.

To maintain the fairness, transparency, and impartiality of the examinations, CBSE actively utilizes modern technology. Firstly, group photography is mandatory: the Board will provide a special link in the application where photos of each group must be uploaded during practical exams.

Secondly, if a school has more than 30 students, exams will be conducted in two or three shifts in the laboratory to prevent overcrowding and ensure the proper conduct of the assessment. Thirdly, for Class 12 practical exams, schools must immediately contact their Regional Office to appoint external examiners and observers.

The Delhi High Court has sent a notice to the CBSE, demanding a response to a petition requesting permission for 12th-grade students to use simple and non-programmable calculators during board examinations. Furthermore, the court has sought clarifications from the central government, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), and 'Parakh.'

The bench, comprising acting Chief Justice Nitin Vasudev Sambre and Judge Sanjay Sharma, has given CBSE and other parties eight weeks to present their stance and response. The next hearing in this matter before the Delhi High Court is scheduled for January 2, 2027.

During the hearing, the petitioners' lawyer informed the court that at a governing body meeting in December 2024, the CBSE agreed to allow the use of calculators in the 12th-grade accounting exam. The curriculum committee also approved this initiative in December 2024, but no concrete steps have been taken in this direction since then.

The petitioners argued before the court that due to lengthy and complex calculations, students waste valuable time. If the use of calculators is permitted, students will be able to focus on the core concepts of the subject and their own understanding, instead of spending time on manual calculations.

It should be noted that currently, this facility is provided only to a limited number of special students suffering from dyscalculia (difficulty in understanding mathematical concepts). The petition also includes a demand to expand this circle to assist other categories of students with disabilities according to their needs.