New Delhi: Students may be permitted to use calculators in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 board examination. Hearing a petition filed over the demand, the Delhi High Court has issued notices to CBSE, the central government, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the National Assessment Centre ‘PARAKH’, seeking their responses. The court directed the parties concerned to place their stand within eight weeks. The next hearing in the matter will be held on January 2, 2027.
The petition has sought permission for students to use simple and non-programmable calculators in the Class 12 accountancy examination. It has also requested the constitution of an expert committee to examine the usefulness of calculators in the mathematics examination.
The petitioners argued that in subjects such as accountancy and mathematics, doing lengthy calculations by hand takes considerable time. This leaves students with less time to understand the concepts behind questions and demonstrate their subject knowledge.
The petition also stated that CBSE’s curriculum committee had approved a proposal in November 2024 to allow the use of basic calculators in the Class 12 accountancy examination. Despite this, it has not been implemented so far.
At present, CBSE provides the facility of using calculators only to some students with disabilities affected by dyscalculia. However, the High Court has not yet granted permission for the use of calculators. The final decision will come after the responses of the parties concerned and further hearings.
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