New Bill to allow States to drop no-detention policy:

New Bill to allow States to drop no-detention policy:

Context

  • The Ministry of Human Resource Development is considering to introduce a Bill to amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, to enable States to do away with the no-detention policy if they wish.

The Bill

  • The Cabinet already cleared the introduction of the Bill and the Ministry wants it introduced in this session itself and passed in the next session.
  • Twenty-five States had approved with the idea of doing away with or tuning the no-detention policy, wherein a child is not detained till Class 8 to give a boost to levels of learning.
  • Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra did not ask for a rollback of the policy.
  • The Centre has therefore decided to allow States to take the call and to tweak the RTE Act to enable them to do so.
  • The Bill is expected to permit States to introduce exams in Classes 5 and 8.
  • Students who fail in the exams to be held in March will be given remedial training and offered another chance to pass in May. Those who still fail will be detained in the same class.
  • Officials say there were complaints that the no-detention policy aimed at holding students in school and giving an impulse to education led to learning levels taking a dip.
  • The planned modification in the RTE Act is expected to arrest this trend.
  • Dropout rates till Class 8 are just 4%, but they rise to above 20% after that. This is because of the no-detention policy..
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