(Image: PTI) (Image: PTI) (Image: PTI) The Maharashtra government has announced the reinstatement of annual examinations for students in classes 5 and 8. According to an official, the state government has reintroduced annual examinations for classes 5 and 8, which will allow schools to detain students if they fail to clear these exams on the second attempt, news agency PTI reported.
On Friday, the state School Education Department issued a notification to this effect, which comes in the backdrop of the Centre amending the Right to Education (RTE) Act that had no failure detention till class 8.
Under the RTE 2009, schools could not detain any student until class 8 as per the no-detention policy. The notification said that the annual examination will be held at the end of the academic year of classes 5 and 8, according to the PTI report.
The notification further stated that if the child fails to pass the examination, additional guidance will be provided and re-examination will be held in two months. But if the child fails to clear the re-examination, then he or she will be held back in the same class.
It is important to note that no student will be expelled from the school until they complete their elementary education, as explicitly mentioned in the notification.
The amendment made to the RTE in 2019 empowered states to reintroduce exams and detain students if they failed to clear them.
According to reports, the State Education Department will work closely with schools to implement the new examination and detention policy effectively. Moreover, they will also provide adequate support and resources to students who require additional assistance to clear the exams.