‘GoI emulates Mamata Banerjee’: Minister raps Centre’s decision

Kolkata: State Education Minister Bratya Basu on Monday criticised the Central government’s decision to reinstate the pass-fail system for students in classes 5 and 8, suggesting that the move was merely following the example set by West Bengal. “The School Education Department, under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, had already reintroduced student assessments for Classes 5 and 8 back in 2019. So, this decision is nothing new for us,” Basu wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account, accompanied by the hashtags ‘Egiye Bangla’ and ‘GoI emulates Mamata Banerjee’.

Basu went on to explain that the assessment process in West Bengal is more rational and comprehensive compared to the one outlined by the Central government. To back up his statement, he attached the notification dated November 1, 2019. The Central government recently amended the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010, officially abolishing the ‘no detention policy’ for classes 5 and 8. Under the revised guidelines, which came into effect on December 16, regular competency-based exams will be conducted at the end of each academic year for students in these classes. Students failing to meet the promotion criteria will be given additional instructional support and a chance to re-sit the examination within two months. If they fail again, they will remain in the same grade.