NEW DELHI: The directorate of education (DoE) has issued new assessment and promotion guidelines, which entail that students of classes V and VIII would be detained if they do not pass the yearly examination. This policy will be implemented from the 2023-24 academic session, the Delhi government said. Under the new guidelines, if a student is unable to pass Class V or VIII, they would get another chance to improve their performance through re-examination within two months of declaration of results. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said, “The ‘no-detention policy’ was very progressive but due to lack of preparation, the education system could not take full advantage of it. But we need to prepare such a system to lay a strong foundation at the elementary level which works on the holistic development of a child and the learning should be of such a level that there is no need for detention.” According to the guidelines, assessment of children’s learning in classes V and VIII will include mid-term and annual examinations as well as co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. “Our aim is not to stop any student from getting promoted to the next class because a child never fails, it is the system that fails. Through these guidelines, our real aim is to bring the same degree of seriousness in elementary grades as for classes X and XII,” Sisodia said. The guidelines pertaining to promotion of class V and VIII students state that in order to be declared “pass,” a student must secure at least 33% marks in each subject during the session. A minimum of 25% marks must also be scored in mid-term plus annual examinations, the guidelines state while adding that even for re-examination, students are required to secure at least 25% of marks. “If a student does not secure at least 25% marks in the subject in which he or she has taken the re-examination and a minimum of 33 out of 100 marks in that subject does not appear, they will be placed in the category of ‘essential repeat’. The student, in this case, will be held back in the same class during the next session,” officials explained. The new policy also states that no student will be expelled from school till the completion of elementary education. The guidelines will be implemented in all the government, government-aided, MCD, NDMC, Delhi Cantonment Board and recognised unaided schools within the city.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/delhi-government-to-do-away-with-no-detention-policy-for-classes-v-viii-from-next-academic-session/articleshow/94713883.cms