'No Detention' Policy Scrapped For Classes 5 and 8

New Education Policy 2024 | In a significant shift in school education, the Centre has scrapped the 'no-detention policy' for students in classes 5 and 8 in schools governed by the central government. This move will allow schools to retain students who fail to clear their year-end exams. As per a recent gazette notification, if a student does not meet the promotion criteria after regular exams, they will be given an additional opportunity for re-examination within two months of the result declaration. If they fail again, the student will be held back in the same class. The class teacher will provide guidance to the student and their parents, offering specialised help to address learning gaps. While this change applies to over 3,000 schools managed by the central government, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and Sainik Schools, states have the autonomy to adopt or reject the policy. "Since school education is a state subject, states are free to make their own decisions. Already, 16 states and two Union Territories have opted out of the 'no-detention policy' for classes 5 and 8," news agency PTI quoted a senior Ministry of Education official as saying.