Finally, no-detention-policy clause revoked by HRD

A consensus over revoking the contentious section had emerged during the 63rd meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) which was held under the chairmanship of Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday.

Different stakeholders present in the meeting, which was held after a gap of 22 months, unanimously agreed that no detention policy is affecting learning adversely and should be revoked. While briefing media after the CABE meeting, Irani said, “All members, including education ministers of 19 states and representatives of 29 states and Union Territories, want no detention clause to be removed as its affecting learning adversely.”

The statement of HRD Minister on revocation of <g data-gr-id="44">no fail</g> policy validates the news item HRD ministry likely to scrap RTE’s no-detention clause, which was first reported by Millennium Post in its November 5, 2014 dated edition.

However, according to Irani, the Centre has proposed that state governments should formally provide their views, in writing within 15 to 30 days to HRD Ministry, which would consider the next steps based on these recommendations. “We have asked states to give in writing their views on scrapping of no detention rule and after considering their suggestions, the ministry will take appropriate decision at suitable time,” Irani said adding that the controversial  policy would be scrapped in one go and not in <g data-gr-id="51">phased manner</g>.

There has been a growing chorus against the no-detention policy till Class 8 in schools - a provision of the Right to Education Act (RTE), 2009, framed by the erstwhile UPA government. In reply to a question on return of Class X board exams in the New Education Policy (NEP), the minister clarified that there can’t be a piecemeal approach and it has to be done along with the detention policy. “By November, the state and the Centre’s representatives will discuss <g data-gr-id="54">first</g> <g data-gr-id="55">draft</g> of NEP, which will be ready by December... I have got immense support from states on this,” Irani said.

The ‘no failing rule’ provides special right to students to get promoted to the next class even if they fail to score minimum marks till Class VIII. Also, the clause 13 of the controversial policy in the RTE Act discourages any kind of screening of children and their parents at the time of admission.

“As about 80 <g data-gr-id="43">per cent</g> of all recognised schools at the elementary stage are government run or supported, so with this clause in place, children get certificates of being educated till Class VIII, but the disturbing fact is that they don’t even have knowledge of standard one. The ‘no-fail’ policy has ruined the elementary education,” an HRD ministry official said.

Talking to Millennium Post, Geeta Bhukkal, who headed a <g data-gr-id="36">sub-committee</g> of CABE to review the no- detention policy, said, “‘I appreciate the move of union HRD minister who has thought of changing the controversial provision as due to no-detention policy in place, the attendance at schools has deeply fallen. This rule has demoralised the students as well as parents.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the centre has spent over Rs 15,000 lakh crore on several education programmes such as Right to Education, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Mid-day meal, among others to educate every child in the country. Tripura government has already passed a resolution in the state assembly opposing the clause. A study by NGO Pratham too has found that the learning level of children has gone down in the past three years, the period during which the RTE Act came into force.