Scrapping of no-detention policy will create 'positive pressure' on students

 Scrapping of no-detention policy will create 'positive pressure' on students

 

Education Times / 30 Dec 2024

Extract :

 The Centre has decided to end the No-Detention Policy (NDP) for students in classes V and VIII in government, CBSE schools from the academic session 2024-25. This will end the practice of automatically promoting the students who failed their year-end exams.

According to a gazette notification, after the conduct of regular examinations, children who do not meet the promotion criteria will get a chance to retake the exams within two months of the result declaration.

The decision is supposed to affect over 3,000 central schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, Sainik Schools (under the ministry of defence), and Eklavya Model Residential Schools (under the ministry of tribal affairs).

The NDP was introduced in 2009 under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which aimed to provide free and compulsory education to every child in the country up to class VIII. The primary goal of the policy was to prevent students from being held back due to poor academic performance as this was seen as a major factor contributing to school dropouts.

Experts feel that the recent decision would prove beneficial as the provision of NDP left students ill-prepared for board exams and contributed to higher failure rates.

While the revised system will provide supplementary opportunities to those who fail, it will address significant learning gaps that have developed over the years due to previous educational practices and motivate students to take academics seriously.

Increased accountability

Speaking to Education Times, Sanyam Bhardwaj, controller of examinations, CBSE,

{ ce.cbse2014@gmail.com  /  sanyamb.cbse@nic.in   }

highlighted the need to handhold the students who perform poorly in school.

“The move will bring increased accountability among all stakeholders, including students, teachers, schools, and parents. The policy will avoid a sense of complacency, with students and parents assuming automatic promotion regardless of effort or performance. Because of the no-detention policy, several students were not studying properly, which led to students reaching higher classes without the necessary knowledge and skills, making it challenging for them to cope in higher classes,” he says.

“The revised policy will introduce positive pressure, encouraging students and parents to take academics more seriously.

Meanwhile, the weak students will not be left behind as the system provides supplementary opportunities for students who fail to meet the required standards. This is a motivating step, enabling students to address gaps in their learning and prepare well for the next exam,” he adds.

Equal participation
The role of teachers in supporting academically weaker students will be crucial in secondary school. Bhardwaj says, “There is no need for extra classes; diligent efforts by both students and teachers during regular school hours are sufficient. Securing 33% marks is not a big task and is an achievable target. Anyone failing to meet this mark reflects a lack of effort from all the parties involved.” Addressing concerns about potential increases in dropout rates, he says that government support systems such as midday meal schemes, ensure that students, especially from marginalised backgrounds, are encouraged to continue their education.

Following the amendment to the RTE in 2019, at least 18 states and Union Territories have already done away with the policy for the two classes.

However, a few state governments such as Maharashtra, TN, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, among others have decided not to do away with NDP.

Support will be extended

As per the notification, students and parents will be informed about the learning gaps and specialised guidance will be offered by the teacher.

The head of the school will maintain a record of students held back, oversee the provision of specialised inputs for these students, and monitor their progress in addressing the identified gaps, the notification said.

Nidhi Thapar, vice-president, academics, Ryan Edunation,

[ nidhi.thapar@edunation.co.in  ] says,

 “To effectively support students at the risk of failing, schools should implement continuous assessment strategies that focus on both learning and teaching processes. Teachers should provide immediate support tailored to individual needs, ensuring that students grasp foundational concepts before moving on to more complex topics. Collaboration between parents and teachers is also crucial in facilitating additional support outside regular school hours.”

Source of exploitation
On the other hand, the scrapping of NDP may foster a growing coaching culture and give schoolteachers leverage to exploit vulnerable families.

While Bhardwaj is of the opinion that the recent decision may not promote coaching culture, Aruna P Bhalla, former deputy commissioner, KVS, Mumbai region, says,

 “In several schools, children from disadvantaged families are often forced into taking tuitions as early as class I. There have been instances where teachers pressure students to take tuition or else they threaten to fail them. This may leave families financially strained. With the scrapping of the retention policy, tuition teachers are likely to demand even higher fees, further disadvantaging children from families unable to afford private tuitions.”

Class strength

Cicy Roy Mathew, former principal of KVS, Pangode,

[ kvpangodealumni@gmail.com ]

 Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, says, “While teachers are expected to monitor students’ progress, large class sizes make it challenging to provide individual attention. She adds that starting additional sections could address this issue, as smaller classes with fewer than 25-30 students would allow teachers to focus better on each student. “Earlier, the system was such that students who failed twice in a class were issued a compulsory transfer certificate (TC), leading to high dropout rates. However, the current policy refrains from expelling failing students and this will prevent dropouts”, says, Mathew, adding, “The sudden implementation of the policy will leave many students and parents unprepared. Rolling out the changes from the next academic year would have been a better move as it would have given students sufficient time to adapt. With only three months left in this academic session, it will leave little room for students to prepare.”