End of no-detention policy: Students failing final exams in Classes 5, 8 will be retained in same grade

New Delhi, Dec 23 The central government has scrapped the "no-detention policy" in schools. In this regard, the Ministry of Education has issued an official Gazette notification.

Following the decision, regular exams will now be conducted at the end of each academic year for students in the 5th and 8th grades. Students failing these exams will not be promoted to the next class; instead, they will be given an opportunity to reappear for the exam. These students can retake the exam within two months. If they pass the re-exam, they will be promoted to the next grade. So, from now onwards the schools will be allowed to fail Vth and VIIIth standard students who do not clear the year-end exams, according to officials.

The Ministry of Education clarified that no student will be expelled from school until they complete their primary education. Anil Kumar Singhal, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Education, issued the Gazette notification regarding this change.

According to the Ministry of Education, with these new changes, students who fail will be held back in their current class. Previously, the No Detention Policy was in effect in the country. Under this policy, students up to class 8 could not be held back, and even if they did not perform well, they would be promoted to the next class. There was no provision to hold back students in the same class. These rules were part of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act.

However, the Ministry has now made significant changes. Under the new rules, exams will be held for these students, and those who fail will not be promoted to the next class.

The Ministry of Education has specified the conditions under which students who fail in exams will be held back in the same class. The second change is that regular exams will now be conducted at the end of each academic year for 5th and 8th grade students.

The Ministry explained that after the regular exams if any student fails to meet the prescribed criteria, they will be given an additional opportunity for a re-exam within two months of the declaration of the result. If the student fails again to meet the promotion criteria after retaking the exam, they will be held back in the same class (5th or 8th grade).

The Ministry also mentioned that during the period when a student is held back, the class teacher will guide the student and, if necessary, the student's parents. After identifying the various stages of student failure, expert input will be provided.

Moreover, the school principal will create a list of students who have been held back due to failure. These students will receive expert input, and their progress will be closely monitored. For the overall development of the student, exams and re-exams will be competency-based.