The Centre has made a major change in school education by abolishing the ‘no-detention policy’ for classes 5 and 8, allowing schools to fail students who do not pass the year-end exams, officials said.
At least 16 states and two Union Territories have already abolished the ‘no-detention policy’ for classes 5 and 8 following an amendment to the Right to Education (RTE) Act in 2019.
As per an official notification, students who fail the annual exams will receive additional coaching and will have the chance to retake the exam within two months of the results.
“If a student fails to meet the promotion criteria in the re-exam, they will be held back in Class 5 or Class 8. During this time, the class teacher will help the student and their parents, if needed, and provide extra support by identifying learning gaps at different stages,” the notification said.
However, the government has clarified that no child can be expelled from school until they complete their education.
Senior Education Ministry officials have stated that the notification will apply to more than 3,000 schools managed by the central government, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and Sainik Schools.
“Since school education is a state subject, states can make their decision in this regard. Already 16 states and 2 UTs including Delhi have done away with the no-detention policy for these two classes.
“Haryana and Puducherry have not made any decision yet, while remaining states and UTs have decided to continue with the policy,” a senior official said.
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