LUCKNOW: With the Covid count soaring again, the UP government has decided to automatically promote 1.6 crore students between class 1 and 8, enrolled in 1.3lakh state-run schools. Annual examinations scheduled on March 25 and 26 for these classes, will now be scrapped.
The decision comes two days after the government cited Holi vacation to suspend classes in government and private schools from March 23 to March 31 for students of class 1-8.
Director general, school education, Vijay Kiran Anand, late Tuesday issued a notice to basic education officers of all districts, stating students of class 1-8 will be promoted and the new academic session will begin from April 1. An assessment/evaluation of students based on their performance in the previous class will be done in last week of April. Instructions for assessment will be issued separately, he said.
Anand, however, had earlier specified that no student would be denied promotion to the next class in keeping with Right to Education Act, while issuing orders for holding annual examinations.
“By conducting an evaluation test, the department wants to justify funds allocated for examinations. If no child would be made to repeat a class, what’s the purpose of assessment,” asked a government school teacher. Around Rs 6 crore was earmarked for conducting examinations in government schools.
Class 9-11 students of schools recognised by UP Secondary Education Board will be promoted only after they pass the annual exam. “We won’t automatically promote students of higher classes. We suspended offline teaching in all schools till March 31. Courses are complete in most schools, but others can still hold online classes,” said deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma.