No-detention rule can be lifted for Class 5 to 8 kids, says Prakash Javadekar

Kolkata: Union human resource development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday that the centre would soon lift the “no detention” rule and introduce detention for students from class 5 to 8.

“The draft has been prepared. Class 5 to 8 students will get a chance to appear for one examination in March and another chance to appear in May. If they fail in both attempts, they will have to stay in the same class,” the HRD minister said, adding that 25 states had already given consent to the move.

He further said that the Centre was going to pass a bill amending the Right to Education in the Monsoon session, allowing the state government to take their decision on the detention of students.

“The bills, which will be passed in the forthcoming session, will allow the state governments to take their own decision on the detention policy,” the minister maintained at an Indian Chamber of Commerce discussion titled “Way forward For Education Sector In Eastern Region.”

According to the minister, the past policy of no detention from class 1 to 8 had affected the students.

“We had introduced the move with the aim to take everybody along. However, we found that as there were no examinations many government schools in the country had become virtual mid-day meal schools where students would only come to have the meal and leave thereafter. We want to inspire students to be more inquisitive and innovative in their approach to studies under the guidance of able teachers,” he said.

About tougher National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) questions in the Bengali version of the paper, Mr Javadekar said there would be no difference in the standards irrespective of the language.

“From the next year, question papers in various languages will be the translations of just one language to the other,” he said.