New Delhi: The Central Government has amended the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010, allowing schools to hold back students in the fifth and eighth classes who fail to meet the promotion criteria after regular examinations.
In a gazette notification dated December 21, the government mandated the schools to conduct regular examinations in the fifth and eighth classes at the end of every academic year.
“If a child does not meet the promotion criteria after the regular examination, they will be provided with additional instruction and a re-examination within two months from the declaration of results. Under the new rules, if the child fails again in the re-examination, they will be held back in their respective class,” the notification reads.
These amended rules will come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
During this period, the class teacher shall guide the child, as well as the parents, if necessary, and provide specialized input after identifying the learning gaps at various stages of assessment, the notification said.
The amended rules mandate that the head of the school maintain a list of children who are held back and personally monitor the provisions provided for specialized inputs to such children and their progress with respect to the identified learning gaps. The examination and re-examination will be competency-based examinations to achieve the holistic development of the child and not be based on memorisation and procedural skills.
The new provisions also emphasize that no child will be expelled from school until they complete their elementary education, reinforcing the government’s commitment to ensuring education for all children.
UNI
