No Detention Policy’ is withdrawn by the centre for classes 5th and 8th.

Centre Withdraws ‘No Detention Policy’ for Classes 5 and 8

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Pinky Deshmukh

Last Updated: December 24, 2024

Summary: The government has made it clear that a child cannot be dismissed from school before completing primary school.

According to officials, the Center has eliminated the "no-detention policy" for classes 5 and 8 in schools under its jurisdiction, enabling them to fail children who fail the year-end exams. This is a significant shift in the way that education is offered in schools.

The 'no-detention policy' for the two classes has already been abolished in at least 18 states and Union Territories since the 2019 revision to the Right to Education Act (RTE).

These are the states that have annulled the ‘no detention policy’: Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Delhi, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Jammu and Kashmir.

An official statement states that students would receive additional guidance and have the chance to retake the exam within two months after the results if they are unable to pass the annual exams.

The notification said, “If the child appearing in the re-examination fails to fulfill the promotion criteria again, he shall be held back in fifth class or eighth class, as the case may be. During the holding back of the child, the class teacher shall guide the child as well as the parents of the child, if necessary, and provide specialized inputs after identifying the learning gaps at various stages of assessment.”

It is important to remember that no student can be expelled from school before completing elementary school. According to the notification, the emphasis of the tests and retests will be on student understanding and overall growth rather than just memorization.

The notification will apply to more than 3,000 central government-run institutions, including Sainik institutions, Navaodyala Vidyalayas, and Kendriya Vidyalayas, according to senior Education Ministry officials.

And since education is a state matter, they can individually decide on this. A senior official had said, "Since school education is a state subject, states can make their decision in this regard. Already 16 states and 2 UTs including Delhi have done away with the no-detention policy for these two classes. Haryana and Puducherry have not made any decision yet while remaining states and UTs have decided to continue with the policy.