Introduce exam system in Std V: Tawde

Clarifying that he didn’t recommend stopping no-detention policy after Class IV, Tawde said

INTRODUCE examinations in Class V and hold back weak students if need be in that class. This is the recommendation of State Education Minister Vinod Tawde at the meeting of the Central Education Advisory Council’s sub-committee that was set up to review the no-detention policy.

Clarifying that he didn’t recommend stopping no-detention policy after Class IV, Tawde said, he has only recommended one stage of detention. “Today, most schools have presumed no-detention policy as no exam policy whereas no where in the Right to Education Act is it said that exams should not be conducted. In fact, exams should be conducted so that schools are aware of students’ capabilities and their flaws. If this is not done, then after Class VIII, we see that students cannot cope with studies. And for this, not just schools are to blame but students too. Students are taking advantage of the situation by not appearing in the examinations due to no-detention policy and hence, fear of examinations is lost,” said Tawde.

To correct this situation, a recommendation has been put forth to introduce one level of examination at Class V — the stage where a student starts secondary education and primary education draws to a close.

Along with Tawde, the sub-committee that has submitted its report to the ministry of human resource development (MHRD) includes representatives from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh.

Tawde added that the suggestion is not to directly hold back students at Class V but to give them a second chance. “What we have recommended is that students who fail to pass Class V exam should be given a second chance. After one month of special preparation for such students, they should be made to reappear for exams. If they fail once again, they should be held back in same class for improvement. However, once exam is conducted at Class V, there is no need for exam in the subsequent classes until Class VIII,” clarified Tawde. He added that while the plan is to continue with the continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE), it has been suggested to make changes in teacher training module.

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