Bengaluru
: Hours after a Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) move barring a Type 1 diabetes student from carrying essentials like an insulin pump and carbohydrate snacks into his class 10 board exam hall generated furore, CBSE did a U-turn and issued a letter allowing the student to use them inside the hall.
TOI had in these columns on Friday published a report, Class 10 exam: CBSE turns down student’s request for an insulin pump, highlighting the plight of a student who had requested that he be allowed to take into the exam hall carbohydrate snacks, insulin pump and libre CGM sensor as he is a Type 1 diabetes candidate. A doctor’s post on the CBSE regional office in Bengaluru rejecting the request had gone viral.
“A letter dated January 4 issued by this office was reviewed and the following concessions are granted in respect of the student (name withheld) for ensuing board exams 2024 — emergency carbohydrate-rich snack, insulin pump underneath his skin and freestyle libre CGM sensor,” said the new letter dated January 12.
In its earlier letter, the CBSE had said that the request “is rejected by the competent authority of the board as per rules”. The decision drew sharp criticism as there were clear instructions from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to the CBSE to allow snacks, glucometer, glucose testing strips and test blood sugar levels as per the requirements by T1 diabetes children. Children using continuous glucose monitoring, flash glucose monitoring and insulin pumps have to be given permission to retain these devices during exams. In case a smartphone is used as a reader, it may be handed over to the teacher to monitor blood sugar level, says the March 23 letter to the CBSE.
