Chennai: The proposal for restricting no detention policy from class 8 to class 5 by ministry of human resource development has come under severe criticism from educationists.
Explaining the proposal MHRD said, “The children are getting indisciplined as they do not have the fear of failing.” The law ministry also has given the go-ahead to the MHRD’s suggestion.
Now, it can amend Section 16 of the Right to Education Act, 2009 which deals with the no detention policy. However, Tamil Nadu has decided to have the no detention policy up to class 8.
“The suggestion to scrap the no detention policy for classes 6 to 8 is irrational and without any logical analysis of the ground realities. Learning outcome has to be assessed along with the facilities provided for the child to learn,” said Prince Gajendrababu, general secretary, State Platform for Common School System.
He said equal access to learning has not been ensured at the primary level.
Many of the schools have single or two teachers for all the five classes in the primary section. The teachers are also overburdened with non-curricular works and also attending census work, election duties.
“Without considering all these facts how the government can blame the child for not attaining certain levels of learning?” he asked. Failing the children cannot be the answer for the ensuring the certain levels of learning attainment. “The argument is meaningless. Syllabus, pedagogy and evaluation should be child centric and not for administrative convenience. Detention will surely push out the children belonging to a marginalised section more particularly girl students,” he said.
He stated that the answer to improving the learning outcome is establishing fully state funded common school system based on neighbourhood schools.
After the strong objection from many states for several provisions in the new education policy at the Central Advisory Board of Education meeting, the MHRD said it would constitute a new committee headed by an educationist to draft the new education policy. Reducing the no detention policy is one of the key proposals in the draft new education policy.
