NEW DELHI, (IANS): The central government has scrapped the
"no-detention policy" in schools. In this regard, the Ministry of
Education has issued an official Gazette notification.
Following the decision, regular exams will now be
conducted at the end of each academic year for students in the 5th and 8th
grades. Students failing these exams will not be promoted to the next class;
instead, they will be given an opportunity to reappear for the exam. These
students can retake the exam within two months. If they pass the re-exam, they
will be promoted to the next grade. So, from now onwards the schools will be
allowed to fail Vth and VIIIth standard students who do not clear the year-end exams,
according to officials.
The Ministry of Education clarified that no student will
be expelled from school until they complete their primary education. Anil Kumar
Singhal, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Education, issued the Gazette
notification regarding this change.
According to the Ministry of Education, with these new
changes, students who fail will be held back in their current class.
Previously, the No Detention Policy was in effect in the country. Under this
policy, students up to class 8 could not be held back, and even if they did not
perform well, they would be promoted to the next class. There was no provision
to hold back students in the same class. These rules were part of the Right of
Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act.
However, the Ministry has now made significant changes.
Under the new rules, exams will be held for these students, and those who fail
will not be promoted to the next class.
The Ministry of Education has specified the conditions
under which students who fail in exams will be held back in the same class. The
second change is that regular exams will now be conducted at the end of each
academic year for 5th and 8th grade students.
The Ministry explained that after the regular exams if
any student fails to meet the prescribed criteria, they will be given an
additional opportunity for a re-exam within two months of the declaration of
the result. If the student fails again to meet the promotion criteria after
retaking the exam, they will be held back in the same class (5th or 8th grade).
The Ministry also mentioned that during the period when a
student is held back, the class teacher will guide the student and, if
necessary, the student's parents. After identifying the various stages of
student failure, expert input will be provided.
Moreover, the school principal will create a list of
students who have been held back due to failure. These students will receive
expert input, and their progress will be closely monitored. For the overall
development of the student, exams and re-exams will be competency-based.
