CHENNAI: While the central government issued a gazette notification amending the Right to Education Act that does away no detention policy up to class 8, the Tamil Nadu government is yet to take a call on the issue.
As per the RTE Act, the schools cannot detain students until they complete elementary education. But, the amendment to the act which has got the President’s nod allows states to hold a regular examination at the end of classes 5 and 8.
According to amendment, if a child fails in theexamination, he shall be given additional instruction and granted opportunity for re-examination within a period of two months from the declaration of the results.
“The appropriate government may allow schools to hold back a child in class 5 or in class 8 or in both classes if he fails in the re-examination. Provided that appropriate government also may decide not to hold back a child in any class till the completion of elementary education,” the new rule said.
It also made clear that no child shall be expelled from a school till the completion of elementary education.
Tamil Nadu was one of the few states to oppose the modification of no detention policy at the Central Advisory Board of Education meeting. Sources saidthere is a chance that state government might change its stance on the issue.
The RTE Act, 2009, banned the practice of failing the students from classes 1 to 8 by introducing no detention policy to reduce the dropouts in elementary schools.
However, the central government now allege that the lack of “pass-fail” system has led to a deterioration in the quality of learning in schools. Pointing out the poor results in National Assessment Survey (NAS), the HRD ministry and few states have pushed for the change in the act.
