No-detention policy scrapped: How Punjab raised concerns over it years ago — and re-introduced board exams for class 5, 8 students

The move came five years after the Right to Education Act, 2009, was amended in 2019 to include a clause that allowed the “appropriate government” to decide on holding back children in Classes 5 and 8. Since then, 18 States and Union Territories (UTs) have already scrapped the no-detention policy. Punjab was among the first to do so.

What concerns did Punjab have with the no-detention policy? 

In 2014, the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal vehemently opposed the policy and passed a resolution in Vidhan Sabha to restart board exams for class 5 and 8 students. The government did so keeping in view the “drastic fall in learning outcome levels” of the children who were being promoted without any exam.

A year later, Badal wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying “provisions of RTE Act — that no child shall be held back and would not require to clear any exam till completion of elementary education — have resulted in immense deterioration of stage specific learning of the children.”

However, the Centre did not make any changes to the RTE Act until 2019.

How did Punjab circumvent the RTE Act to conduct examinations for class 5 and 8 students? 

Punjab came up with its own system to evaluate the class 5 and 8 students in 2016. The state introduced the “Learning Outcome Evaluation System” (LOES) under which students were evaluated but not failed or held back. They were only identified for remedial coaching and extra attention at the school-level.

Under the LOES, class 5 and 8 students appeared for exams conducted by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).

The LOES was introduced when it was noticed that the learning outcome levels were drastically declining and affecting class 10 students.

How did Punjab reintroduce board exams for class 5 and 8 students?

After the Centre amended the RTE Act in 2019, states were empowered to hold back students if they failed in re-examinations. The amendment was made in Section 16 of the Act, scrapping the no-detention policy. It said that students still could not be “expelled” till completion of elementary education but would not be promoted to the next class, if they failed re-examination as well. The re-examination takes place within two months after the results are declared.

The amended Section 16 said, “There shall be a regular examination in the fifth and in eighth class at the end of every academic year. If a child fails in examination, he shall be given additional instructions and granted opportunity for re-examination within a period of two months from the date of declaration of result. The appropriate government may allow schools to hold back child in 5th class or in 8th class or in both classes… if fails in re-examination. Provided that the appropriate government may decide not to hold back a child in any class till completion of elementary education. No child shall be expelled from school till the completion of elementary education.”

After the amendment, Punjab re-introduced board exams for class 5 and 8 students and opted to detain students if they failed re-examination.