The central government has made a major change in education policy, ending the “no-detention policy” for fifth and eighth graders. This means that students in these classes who fail their year-end exams can now be held back and must repeat the grade.
“The Union Education Ministry has taken a big decision and abolished the ‘No Detention Policy’. Students who fail the annual examination in classes 5 and 8 will be failed,” Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, posted on X today.
“Failed students will have a chance to retake the test within two months, but if they fail again, they will not be promoted. The school will not expel a student until the 8th grade. Central Government has taken this decision intending to improve the learning outcome among children,” he wrote.
WHAT DOES THIS CHANGE MEAN?
This new rule applies to over 3,000 central government-run schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and Sainik Schools, as per senior education ministry officials. The decision, announced through an official notification, reverses the 2019 amendment to the Right to Education Act.
Under the new rule, students who fail their exams will get a second chance to pass within two months. If they don’t meet the promotion requirements after the re-examination, they will be held back in the same grade.
“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,” the notification stated.
In July 2018, the Lok Sabha passed a bill to amend the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which aimed to end the ‘no detention policy’ in schools. The amendment introduced regular exams for Classes 5 and 8, with a provision for students who fail to have a re-examination opportunity within two months.
In 2019, the Rajya Sabha approved the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, which sought to remove the ‘no detention policy’ for up to Class 8 to improve learning outcomes. The bill granted state governments the discretion to either continue or abolish the policy, allowing them to hold students back in Classes 5 and 8 if they fail their year-end exams.
SUPPORT FOR STRUGGLING STUDENTS
The government also mentioned that teachers will provide additional guidance to address any learning gaps for students who are held back. However, the government has reassured that no student will be expelled before completing elementary education.
“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 said.
Although education is mainly a state matter, the central government’s decision comes after 16 states and two union territories already discontinued the “no-detention policy” for these classes after the RTE Amendment Bill of 2019. While some states and union territories have yet to make a decision, others have opted to continue with the policy.
“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.
The government clarified that each state can choose its own approach to this matter.
(With PTI inputs)
