Gujarat Introduces Board Exams In Classes V & VIII

Gandhinagar: After Tamil Nadu, Gujarat has become the latest state to scrap the no-detention policy in primary schools.

The state government has decided to introduce board exams in Class V and Class VIII after an amendment to the Right To Education (RTE) Act, which was passed by Parliament in January.

The Act had done away with the provision of no-detention in a class even if a student fared poorly in studies or remained absent.

Gujarat Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said the move will come into effect from the ongoing academic session. He said if a failed student remains unsuccessful in the next two re-tests as well, he/she will be considered failed for the academic year. The school, however, cannot expel the student.

The annual exams in both classes will be conducted by the Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training (GCERT) and not by the schools.

The minister said the move will help in improving the learning outcome in classes.

Earlier this month, the Tamil Nadu government also decided to introduce board exams in Classes V and VIII. However,  the government said the exams will be implemented phase-wise and a student would not be held back even if he/she failed. This flexibility will remain in place till 2020-21 academic session.