School forum urges govt to continue with no detention policy

In a letter to principal secretary of School Education, the association secretary PB Prince Gajendra Babu said as Minister of School Education has categorically stated that no such decision to hold public examination for Class 5 and 8, arises on what authority and under whose direction, the Chief Education Officer of various districts of Tamil Nadu has issued such proceedings, circulars and advisory to various schools.

“And some self-financed schools, it is reported, have started asking the parents of students in Classes 5 and 8 to pay the examination fee,” he added.

Asking the government to direct the Chief Education Officer of various districts in the state to withdraw the public exam proceedings, circular, advisory issued by them with regard to the holding of Board and Public Exams for Classes 5 and 8, the teacher’s forum also urged the state to direct the self-financing schools not to collect any money for the purpose of holding board examinations for Classes 5 and 8.

“Issue clarifications that there will be no Board/Public Exams for Classes 5 and 8 and no child will be detained till the completion of the elementary education this year or in the future as per the current provisions of the RTE Act and Policy of the Government of Tamil Nadu,” the forum demanded.

In addition, the forum also said that the Government of Tamil Nadu should seek from the Government of India the study of research that suggests that the quality of the learning of the child improves if the child is failed and that the child if failed will not abandon school and learning all together. 

“If the Government of Tamil Nadu has done any research in this subject, more particularly, between October 24, 2016 - when the cabinet took a decision to continue with no detention policy - and February 2019, it should be placed in the public domain,” the forum added.