Won’t oppose ‘pass-fail’ system proposal: Partha

State Education minister Partha Chatterjee said that the Bengal government will not oppose ‘pass-fail system’ proposed by the Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE), but warned the cases of drop-outs could increase.

The minister was commenting on the recent proposals of CABE, which says the ‘no-detention policy’ should be revised. Till now, the students of first standard to eighth standard do not have to see ‘fail’ and detention in their mark sheet. The proposed revised ‘no detention policy’ would have been same as earlier for the students of first to fourth standard. But the state should be given the discretionary power to fix, whether they would go for ‘pass-fail’ system for fifth standard to eighth standard.

Commenting on that, the state Education minister, who was discussing the issue at Nabanna, said: “The student who would fail in the classes should be given special training to reappear in the examination. Special classes have to be arranged for them.”

“The education system has to be made attractive and its excellence has to be increased,” Chatterjee said, adding that the state government is yet to receive any proposals from the CABE. “We will discuss the matter with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, once the proposal officially reaches us.”

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered that all the examinees who passed the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET), but could not fill up the online application for appearing further process of recruitment – vice and verification – should be given chance to fill the online forms. 

Many students who were unable to fill the forms for various reasons within the stipulated time frame given by the primary education board had gone for lawsuit in Calcutta High Court demanding they should be given the opportunity back to fill the form for oral examination. The court of Samapti Chatterjee on Wednesday said the students who had passed the written examination, should be given the opportunity to appear in the further process.