Centre Scraps ‘No Detention Policy’ For Class 5, 8 Students; Check New Rules

New Delhi: The Centre on Monday scrapped the ‘no-detention policy’ for Class 5 and 8 students, who fail to clear year-end exams.

Under the new rules, students who fail in the annual exams for these grades will no longer be automatically promoted. Instead they will be given an opportunity to retake the test within two months from the declaration of the results and will remain in the same class if they fail again. But no child can be expelled by any school until their education is complete, the government has clarified.

It further explained that class teacher will maintain a record of students who are held back, identify learning gaps, and provide specialised inputs if necessary.

“We want access, but we also want to improve learning outcomes among students under the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Through changes in the rules, we will be able to pay attention to those students who are not good at studies for some reason. I think we will be successful in improving learning outcomes among all students through this initiative,” said secretary, department of school education and literacy, Sanjay Kumar.

The notification would affect over 3,000 schools run by the central government, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navaodyala Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools.

Notably, 16 states and 2 UTs have done away with the no-detention policy for these two classes.

Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangha, however, has strongly condemned this step, which it claimed as a violation of Right to Education Act. “The act protected from Class 2 to Class 8, for pass fail system. It will increase dropout, child marriage, child labor, increase in missing of girl child and atrocities against children in India. This anti parents and students decision shall be rollbacked,” it added.