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News Topical, Digital Desk : The Madras High Court has said that in India, parents often push their children into the race to get into medical or engineering colleges, whereas the true purpose of education should be learning. The court made the observation while hearing a case seeking permission for a student to take mathematics as an additional subject in the 12th grade.
While hearing the case, Justice D. Bharat Chakraborty said that many times, under pressure of preparing for entrance examinations, students and parents change subjects and later face difficulties.
The court, considering the special circumstances of the case, directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to allow the girl student to appear in the supplementary examination to be held in March 2026, if it is proved that she has studied Mathematics earlier.
What is the whole matter?
The petitioner told the court that his daughter was enrolled in a CBSE school in Class 11 with English, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as subjects. The student also studied Mathematics throughout Class 11 and for some part of Class 12.
However, when the subject information was later sent to the CBSE, it was advised that fewer academic subjects should be considered for better preparation for the NEET exam. Consequently, Physical Education was included in place of Mathematics.
But when the student failed to clear the NEET exam, the family requested the CBSE to allow her to take Mathematics as an additional subject for engineering admission.
Why did CBSE refuse?
The CBSE rejected the student's request in an order issued on January 8. The board stated that its rules require a subject to be studied for both Classes 11 and 12 to be eligible to appear for the Class 12 board exam.
The board also stated that additional subjects can only be taken if the student has studied them for two full years. Since mathematics was not recorded in the records for both years, the student could not be granted this permission. The CBSE also stated that the Delhi High Court decision cited involved a different set of circumstances and is still pending appeal.
What did the court say?
The Madras High Court examined CBSE By-law 43, which provides for additional subjects after passing the board exams. The court found that, according to the records, the student had studied mathematics during Class 11 in the 2023-2024 academic year. Therefore, it could be assumed that she had studied the subject.
The court said that sometimes the education system gets linked to the pressure of entrance exams like NEET or engineering entrance, due to which parents change subjects in a hurry and later the students face problems.
final court order
The court said that if the student proves that she studied mathematics for some part of Class 11 and Class 12, the CBSE should allow her to take the mathematics exam as an additional subject. She must provide evidence such as school records, notebooks, and other academic documents.
If the CBSE is satisfied with this evidence, he will be allowed to appear for the supplementary examination in March 2026. However, the court clarified that this order was given considering the special circumstances of the case and would not be treated as a general rule.
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