Delhi govt comes out with new education reform plan

Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday announced a major school education reform programme titled “Chunauti 2018” which will enable students studying in government schools, especially Class IX students, to overcome problems being faced by them due to adverse effects of the No Detention Policy (NDP).

The No Detention Policy, which came into force with the enactment of the Right to Education Act of 2009, has resulted in widespread complacency and a general lack of accountability and responsibility in the system.

In fact, the Delhi Legislative Assembly, had on December  16, 2015, passed The Right to Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Delhi Amendment) Bill, 2015, which recommends an amendment in the Right to Education Act 2009, to do way away with NDP.

 Since the Central government has so far not taken any stand on the matter, the Delhi government has decided to launch a major reform measure like “Chunauti 2018”. 

For all students from Classes VI to IX, the government has decided to regroup all classes based on a Base Line assessment, which will be conducted in the second week of July. 

Since learning levels vary in all classes, teachers have been directed to deal with classes in different ways.

“The government intends for the weakest students to receive special attention from the best teachers, so as to bring them to the level of the rest of the class,” Sisodia said.

He further added that the grouping of students based on their learning level is solely for the purpose of enabling the teachers to address the learning needs of different sets of children in a more systematic and effective manner.

Heads of schools will map all children who have not cleared the Class IX exam in 2016, and organise one-to-one sessions between teachers and parents, so that the students may be encouraged to come to school regularly and dissuade them from dropping out.

“The Delhi government is determined to not allow the careers and lives of these students to be scarred by failure for little fault of theirs. The idea behind “Chunauti 2018” is that by the year 2018, all students enrolled in Class IX in the academic year 2016-2017, regardless of their learning levels at this point, will be trained and mentored to successfully appear for Class X examinations in 2018. No child will be left behind,” said Sisodia.

They will hold a Special PTA meeting within the month of July in which parents would be counselled by Heads of Schools and respective teachers.