Delhi High Court Seeks Government Response on PIL to Expand Calculator Access for Disabled Students in Class 12 Exams
The Delhi High Court has initiated proceedings on a public interest litigation demanding calculator accommodations for all students with disabilities during Class 12 board examinations. Currently, this specialized testing aid is restricted exclusively to learners diagnosed with dyscalculia.
- The Delhi High Court issued formal notices to the Centre, CBSE, NCERT, and PARAKH regarding the PIL.
- Petitioners argue that limiting calculators solely to students with dyscalculia violates equitable testing standards.
- The case highlights ongoing challenges in making India's centralized educational evaluation systems universally accessible.
NEW DELHI — The Delhi High Court has officially intervened in a legal plea urging authorities to permit the use of calculating devices for all disabled students appearing in their Class 12 mathematics and accountancy board examinations. During the initial hearing, the high-level bench directed official notices to key educational stakeholders, including the Union government, the Central Board of Secondary Education, the National Council of Educational Research and Training, and the PARAKH regulatory authority, demanding their formal positions on the matter.
At present, the provision permitting electronic calculating aids during high-stakes national assessments is strictly confined to learners formally diagnosed with dyscalculia, a specific learning disability affecting numerical processing. Disability rights advocates and legal petitioners argue this narrow policy creates systemic disadvantages for adolescents dealing with alternative physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments who struggle with standard computation under rigorous time constraints during pivotal academic evaluations.
