In a big move, the Centre on Monday announced the decision to scrap the &lsquo;no detention policy&rsquo; for Class V &amp; VIII for schools run by the government. Now, students who fail to clear their annual examinations, will not be eligible for promotion to the next grade, said officials. 
Over 16 states and two Union Territories have already rolled back the &lsquo;no detention policy&rsquo; for the two grades, after an amendment to the Right to Education Act (RTE) in 2019.
An official notification read, &ldquo;If students fail to clear the annual exams, they will be given additional coaching and an opportunity to take a re-exam within two months of the results.&rdquo;
&ldquo;If the child appearing for the re-examination fails to fulfill the promotion criteria again, he/she shall be held back in Class V or VIII, as the case may be. The class teacher shall guide the student as well as the parents of the child, if necessary, and provide specialized inputs after identifying the learning gaps at various stages of assessment,&rdquo; the notification stated.
Clarifying its stance on expelling students, the notification also said, &ldquo;No child can be expelled by any school until their education is complete.&rdquo;
According to senior Union Education Ministry officials, the notification will apply to over 3,000 schools run by the central government, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navaodyala Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools.
&ldquo;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.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Haryana and Puducherry have not made any decision about the policy yet, while remaining states and UTs have decided to continue with the policy,&rdquo; a senior official said.

Students who fail will be allowed to retake exams in two months

Students who fail in annual exams will now be held back and not promoted to the next grade

Centre Scraps ‘No Detention Policy’ for Class V, VIII

Students who fail in annual exams will now be held back and not promoted to the next grade

December 24, 2024 | 24:48 IST