States free to decide on exams
New Delhi, Oct 26 (DHNS): The Centre will soon empower all the states and Union territories to bring in provisions for holding annual examinations in their schools for Class V and Class VIII students, by tweaking the no-detention policy stipulated under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
The Human Resource Development Ministry on Tuesday agreed to amend the RTE Act to enable the states and Union territories to take a decision on introducing the pass-fail system for students of the two classes.
A resolution in this regard was passed at a meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), which was attended by education ministers of 21 states and Union territories. Other states were represented by their officials.
“States will have the freedom to decide if they want to hold examinations for Class V and Class VIII students in their schools. Those which do not want any changes in the no-detention policy will also be free to continue with it. We will propose suitable amendments to the RTE Act for bringing in the enabling provisions,” HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters.
Except two or three states, all others pressed for doing away with the no-detention policy, highlighting the adverse impact of its implementation in their elementary schools.
“The learning outcome has in fact deteriorated with the implementation of the no-detention policy. Many surveys have also indicated so. It is also clear from the NAS survey (conducted by NCERT) that the learning outcomes of students are getting poorer,” Javadekar said.
The ministry will also amend the RTE rules to clearly mention therein the parameters for assessment of the learning outcomes for each of the elementary classes.
“An enabling provision for fixing learning outcomes for each class is already there in the RTE Act, but rules do not have it. We will codify the learning outcomes for each class,” Javadekar said.
The no-detention policy, applicable to all elementary schools across the country, stipulates automatic promotion of students from class I to class VIII. On the proposal of the Central Board of Secondary Education for re-introduction of compulsory board examination for class X students, Javadekar said no decision was taken at the meeting of CABE as it was an “internal matter” of the ministry.
“It is our internal matter as the CBSE comes under the HRD Ministry. We will soon take a decision on this. It’s only the CBSE which has the system of optional board examinations for its school. All other states conduct compulsory board examinations,” the minister said.
“It was not an issue for the states to decide. We will take a decision soon. Such decisions are not taken in just two months. We will announce our decision at least a year in advance,” the minister added, when asked if his ministry could take a decision on the issue by the end of the year.