First in 8 years: Punjab detains 3,484 Class 5 and Class 8 students

Inderjit Singh told the Indian Express that from next year, the Punjab School of Education Board (PSEB), and not the SCERT, will be conducting the exams for classes 5 and 8 also. (The PSEB will decide passing criteria,” he added.  Since 2016, Punjab was conducting examinations for classes 5 and 8 under ‘Learning Outcome Evaluation System’ (LOES) under which students were not detained or held back even if they get E grade (less than 33 per cent). They were only “identified for remedial coaching and extra attention”.

LOES evaluation was started by then education minister Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema after noticing that due to no-detention policy under RTE, the learning outcomes levels were drastically declining and affecting class X board results.  Cheema, who had also headed sub-committee of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) under then MHRD minister Smriti Irani to study the problems of government schools across the country and work out the comprehensive plan to improve education standards, had spoken in favor of reintroducing exams for classes 5 and 8, saying that elementary education standards were declining as both teachers and students were completely non-serious due to no-detention policy. Since no final decision was taken then on RTE, Punjab implemented LOES saying that it was not a violation of RTE Act as they will conduct exams only to identify weak students without failing or detaining them.

Section 16 of the amended RTE Act, says, “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 student fails in re-examination. Provided that appropriate government may decide not to hold back child in any class till completion of elementary education. No child shall be expelled from school till the completion of elementary education”.

Broadly, it is for the first time after almost eight years, since RTE was implemented in Punjab in 2011, that class 5 and 8 students have been detained in government schools.