Government school in Chandigarh (Express photo: Jaipal Singh)Students of Classes V and VIII will face detention if they fail examinations from the next academic session in Chandigarh. UT education department has sent this proposal to the central government for approval.
While talking to Chandigarh Newsline, Education Secretary B L Sharma said,”We are framing certain criteria subject to which a student will be detained. We will define these and send them to central government for approval. Since Chandigarh is a Union Territory, it is governed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.” He rued that students are careless about studies unless they are subject to examinations.
“Their competence can be gauged only when there is an examination, where they compete with each other. In life, everyone should be competitive. Remedial classes will be given and we will ask teachers to devote more time to weak students. We will do everything to give them the desired education and if a student still fails he/she will need to be detained.” B L Sharma told Newsline.
The move was welcomed by teachers as well. Swarn Singh Kamboj President, UT Cadre Educational Employees Union, said, “ I work on ground level and know the realities. The step taken by the education department is right and good for the future of the society. Students, mostly of government schools, remain non-serious about their academics because they have no fear of failure. And they know they will be promoted up to 8th class.”
He also said that the policy of promoting even failing students left students with apathetic attitude with no fear of facing the examination which is quite dangerous for the future of the students as well as the society.
“ We were of the demand that students who fail in V and VIII classes should be detained. In government schools mostly there are students from poor class and in most of the cases parents are not themselves educated so they are not aware of the performances of their kids in schools. When the students get promoted to next classes their parents think that kids are doing well but are unaware of the realities.” he said.
An amendment was made to the Right to Education Act 2009 on January 3 under which, it was left to the states to decide whether they will allow schools to detain students who failed in annual examination of classes V and VII.
