'State yet to receive Centre's direction on no-detention policy'

Kolkata: State Education minister Partha Chatterjee on Friday said no written intimidation from the Centre has reached the state with regard to detention or no detention issue.

"We have communicated our views in this regard to the Union Ministry of Human Resource. But how can we proceed further if there has been no specific directions from the centre?" Chatterjee said on the sidelines of a programme organised by Paschim Banga Samagra Siksha Mission at Mahajati

Sadan on Friday.

A senior official of the Education department said there have been discussions in this regard and the Centre wants to introduce detention in class V and VIII but no circular on this issue from the Centre has been received by the state as yet.

It is learnt that the Education department wants the pass-fail system to be introduced from Class V and has already intimidated the Centre about this.

Educationists in the state believe the standard of school education has declined since the introduction of the 'no-detention' system in 2009.

The "no detention" policy, mandated by the Centre's Right to Education Act, was introduced in 2009 to ensure children till 14 years of age did not quit studies over

fear of failure.

In the present system, students till Class VIII are awarded grades and not marks and are promoted even if they are not ready for the next class that

has ultimately resulted in difficulty while coping with the syllabi of classes IX and X.

Educationists in the state believe the standard of school education has declined since the introduction of the 'no-detention' system in 2009.