Insulin justice! Type 1 diabetic student can take essentialsin CBSE exam

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Following widespread backlash over the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) initially preventing a Class 10 student with Type 1 diabetes from bringing essential items like an insulin pump and carbohydrate snacks into the exam hall, the board reversed its decision.

In a letter dated January 12, CBSE granted the student permission to use these items during the upcoming board exams, retracting their earlier rejection stated in a letter dated January 4.

The reversal came after a report published by TOI on Friday highlighted the student's plea and the subsequent rejection by the CBSE regional office in Bengaluru, which had sparked public outrage.

The revised letter now acknowledges the student's need for emergency carbohydrate-rich snacks, an insulin pump, and a freestyle libre CGM sensor during the exams.

The earlier decision had faced criticism for violating guidelines from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, which explicitly urged CBSE to allow such accommodations for Type 1 diabetes children, including using snacks, glucometers, glucose testing strips, and monitoring devices during exams.

The CBSE's initial rejection could have been more consistent with these guidelines, prompting the board's reconsideration and issuance of a more accommodating directive.