The central government on Monday abolished the ‘no detention policy’ for classes 5 and 8 in schools governed by it and decided that students of these two classes who fail the annual examination will not be promoted. Tamil Nadu government, however, made it clear that the current pattern of “all pass” would continue for schools under its control.
According to a gazette notification, after the conduct of regular examination, if a child fails to fulfil the promotion criteria, as notified from time to time, he shall be given additional instruction and opportunity for re-examination within a period of two months from the date of declaration of results.
“If the child appearing in the re-examination fails to fulfil the promotion criteria again, he shall be held back in fifth 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, if necessary, and provide specialised inputs after identifying the learning gaps at various stages of assessment,” the notification said.
However, the government has clarified that no child shall be expelled from any school till the completion of elementary education.
“The examination and re-examination shall be competency-based examinations to achieve the holistic development of the child and not be based on memorisation and procedural skills.
According to senior Ministry of Education officials, the notification will be applicable to over 3,000 schools run by the central government including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navaodyala Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools.
TN School Education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, however, clarified in a statement that the change will only be applicable “for those schools adopting the National Education Policy (NEP)”.
The state government is not holding annual exams for students of classes 5 to 8 with an aim to help students continue their studies without any hurdles. “That policy will continue,” he said.
“As the State Education Policy (SEP) will be adopted here, I want to make it clear that the present exam system will continue here,” he added.
Meanwhile, the School Education Department has revamped the syllabus of vocational courses for Class 11 and Class 12, based on industrial needs, in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC).
The new syllabus is more focused on students getting hands-on experience and industrial exposure based on professional needs.
A senior official from the School Education Department said to enhance the progressive growth, vertical mobility, and employability of the future generation, the syllabus and textbooks of the eight vocational education subjects have been revamped and upgraded.