In a strong rebuke to the Centre, Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has criticised the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for introducing failure-based assessments for Classes 5 and 8 under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, calling the move “anti-education.”The Minister urged parents to question and resist CBSE’s decision, especially as schools have reportedly begun collecting signed consent forms from parents of low-performing students.
Tamil Nadu, which enforces a no-detention policy till Class 8, warned that such examinations with the possibility of failure will lead to increased dropouts and heightened mental stress among children. “How can children who are still in the age of eating chocolates be expected to understand failure?” Anbil Mahesh asked.
While NEP allows failed students to reappear for exams within two months, the Minister argued that branding children as “failures” at such an early stage could push them out of the education system entirely. “Imagine the stigma and pressure these children will face,” he said.
He added that introducing high-stakes exams for Classes 5 and 8 runs contrary to the Right to Education Act and Tamil Nadu’s efforts to ensure inclusive, universal education. “This will reverse decades of progress, especially among marginalised communities. We currently have no dropouts at the elementary level,” Anbil Mahesh asserted.