TN government yet to withdraw circular on Class V, VIII boards

CHENNAI: A week after school education minister K A Sengottaiyan clarified that there will be no board exams for Classes V and VIII this year, a circular sent by the state school education department is yet to be withdrawn.


Using this loophole, some private schools have been demanding ‘board exam’ fees from students, said parents and activists. They have urged the government to issue a formal order announcing withdrawal of the circular sent by the chief educational officers (CEOs).

Confusion started soon after CEOs sent circulars on February 19 announcing that some changes were made based on amendments made to the Right of Children for Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 by the Union government last year. Amendments were made to the clause which restricted schools from detaining students until Class VIII. The amendment states that there can be ‘regular exams’ at the end of Class V and VIII and it is up to the state governments to detain or not.

Educationist Prince Gajendra Babu said that there is a fundamental difference between board exam and regular exam. A common methodology is adopted while notifying exam centres, setting question papers and evaluating results of board exams. This creates fear, anxiety and trauma in the minds of children. Regular exams are held in the same classroom by the same teacher in a childfriendly atmosphere.

Against this backdrop, the circular issued by CEOs is in contravention of the state’s earlier stance at the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) meeting in New Delhi on October 25, 2016, he said. Seconding him, S Arumainathan from TN Students Parents Welfare Association said this change in policy will drive away state board students towards CBSE schools as they and their parents will be put under constant stress.