Board exams must for Class 5, 8: Centre

Accordingly, children, studying in those classes, would be detained if they fail in the annual exams. The gazette further stated that if the student fails in the re-examination, the government cannot expel the kid from school till the completion of elementary education.

The Union Government move, to scrap the no-detention policy, came amid stiff opposition from academicians and experts in Tamil Nadu, who claimed that the changes in the Act would affect the students’ academic progress and the purpose of the Right to Education (RTE) Act would not be served.

Tamil Nadu State Platform for Common School System (SPCSC) general secretary PB Prince Gajendra Babu said, “It is not a progressive step.” Stating that students at a tender age may tend to take everything casually and the seriousness sets in only after they turn 14, he added, “Following the old system, the teachers should identify students who perform poorly and train them appropriately.”

He said that if the new system of detaining students comes into effect, they may develop depression and inferiority complex, increasing the chance of discontinuing their studies. “Girls would be the first victims as once the management detains them for two years, parents won’t allow them to continue their studies,” Babu said.

A senior official from School Education Department said that Tamil Nadu is against the scrapping of non-detention policy. “However, the department will consult stakeholders before taking a decision,” he added.