No Detention Policy Scrapped: Now, Class 5 And Class 8 Students Can Be Failed

In an important development, the Lok Sabha passed a Bill to amend the Right To Education Act, allowing states to detain children in Class 5 or Class 8, or both. The bill provides for a regular examination in classes 5 and 8, and if the student fails, they will be given opportunity to attempt the exam in two months’ time. And if the child fails again in the re-examination, the government will decide on whether to promote or fail the child.

Earlier, schools couldn’t detain or make any child repeat the classes until standard 8. However, now, the new law takes away the important ‘no detention policy’ which was enforced in 2010. While moving the bill in the Lok Sabha, Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said the policy had been brought as it was felt that compelling children to repeat a class was demotivating, often forcing them to abandon school.

While moving the bill in the Lok Sabha, the minister said, “It is a very important legislation and a majority of state governments supported this Centre’s proposal. It brings accountability in our elementary education system.”

Referring to the no-detention policy in the Act, the Minister said: “schools have become only schools for mid-day meal as education and learning are missing”.

“The education system is like an inverted pyramid and adequate focus has not been given to primary education,” he said.

To note, though the Bill has been passed, it is still unclear as to who will conduct the examination (which may lead to detention): Centre or the school.