Nagpur: The state’s school education department has decided to promote students of Std I-VIII without exams due to the current Covid-19 crisis. As per existing rules, the Right To Education (RTE) Act prohibits holding back students till at least Std VIII, though an exam needs to be taken. For Std IX and XI, which are outside the purview of the no-fail policy, the state government will be taking a decision soon.
“All students till Std VIII will be promoted automatically to the next academic level. We have been reaching out to students through various mediums for ensuring that their education does not stop,” said school education minister Varsha Gaikwad.
Even last year the government had allowed promotion of students till Std VIII as schools were closed and the entire country was under a strict lockdown. For state’s board exams, the time table has already been announced and the minister has ruled out any chance of online exams. Last week, Gaikwad said, “Due to various technical issues, conducting online board exams across the state won’t be possible. Offline exams will be conducted by following strict safety protocols.”
The state government has announced a slew of sops for students, including extra time during board theory papers plus a guaranteed second chance to those who miss out because of being either Covid-19 positive or unable to reach the centre due to local restrictions.