The centre has scrapped the ‘no-detention policy’ for classes 5 and 8 allowing schools to fail students if their performance does not meet required standards.
The new amendments would allow states to hold regular exams for the students of Class 5 and 8 and hold them back if they fail.
Following the amendment to the Right to Education Act (RTE) in 2019, at least 16 states and two Union Territories have already done away with the ‘no-detention policy’ for the two classes.
Under the new rules, the states have been allowed to conduct ‘regular examinations for Classes 5 and 8 at the end of the academic year’.
The students who fail the exams will receive ‘additional instruction’ and have the chance to retake the examination two months later. If they still fail to meet the promotion criteria, they will be forced to repeat Class 5 or Class 8.
“After the conduct of regular examination, if a child fails to fulfil the promotion criteria, as notified from time to time, he shall be given additional instruction and opportunity for re-examination within a period of two months from the date of declaration of results,” the gazette notification said.
“If the child appearing in the re-examination fails to fulfil the promotion criteria again, he shall be held back in fifth class or eighth class, as the case may be. During the holding back of the child, the class teacher shall guide the child as well as the parents of the child, if necessary, and provide specialised inputs after identifying the learning gaps at various stages of assessment,” the notification added.
The government, however, clarified that no child shall be expelled from any school till completion of elementary education.
Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of Education Ministry, said that the government has taken this decision intending to improve the learning outcome among children.
According to senior Ministry of Education officials, the notification will be applicable to over 3,000 schools run by the central government including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navaodyala Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools.
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