NEWS  – The Union government has scrapped the ‘no-detention’ policy for students in classes 5 and 8, as per the amended Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2019. Schools under the Act can now fail students in these classes, according to the new rules notified by the Ministry of Education.

REVISED RULES FOR DETENTION

• Provision for Re-examination:
  • Students who fail in classes 5 or 8 must be given specialized inputs.
  • A re-examination opportunity must be provided within two months of the result declaration.
• Retention after Re-exam:
  • If a student fails the re-examination, they will be held back in the same class.
  • No child will be expelled from school until they complete elementary education.

REASON FOR SCRAPPING THE POLICY

• Feedback from stakeholders indicated that the ‘no-detention’ policy:
  • Left students underprepared.
  • Contributed to higher failure rates in class 10.
• Amendments to the RTE Act in 2019 allowed states and the Centre to decide whether to retain the policy.
  • 16 states and Union Territories (UTs) opted out of the policy.
  • Karnataka abolished it in 2022.