CUTTACK: Supporting the stand taken by the state Board of Secondary Education (BSE), the State Government on Friday also opposed the writ petition of eight-year-old boy Millennium Bismay, who has approached the High Court seeking a special permission to sit for matriculation examination.

BSE norms

The Government told the High Court that the minor boy should not be allowed to sit for the examination, scheduled next month, as he does not fulfil the basic criteria fixed for the same. The State School and Mass Education Department in an affidavit informed the court that provisions of Orissa Secondary Education Act-1953 does not allow a student who is less than 14 years of age to sit for the final school leaving examination."Moreover, the child has not pursued his study in any educational institution at any point of time. He also does not fit in any category of students like regular, ex-regular, quasi-regular or correspondence category to sit for the examination as per the State Board of Secondary Education (BSE) norms," the affidavit said.

Representing through his uncle, the wonder kid who possesses extraordinary memory power had urged the court to direct the State Government to condone his age and allow him to sit for the matriculation examination as he has already studied the entire school courses. The petition also stated that the boy has also qualified in both the pre-test examination conducted by a High School and secured 62 percent in the subject competency test conducted by the BSE last year.

The wonder boy from Balasore district, who aims to achieve a unique distinction to become the youngest matriculate of the country, had turned up here on the day with his mother and uncle to know the fate of his prayer to the High Court. The division bench of Justice P K Tripathy and Justice R N Biswal adjudicating the case, however, adjourned the matter to Monday next for the final verdict as the petitioner advocate Ashok Mohapatra prayed for some time to file a rejoinder to the State Government's affidavit.

Earlier, the BSE in its affidavit also informed the court that the boy should not be encouraged to sit for the matriculation examination as he is not psychologically ready for such an achievement. "Although, the boy secured 62 percent in the subject competence test, his psychological performance does not indicate any motivational maturity as expected from a 14-year- old boy," says the BSE secretary Minaketan Pani

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