Maha Govt to detain failing students in Class 5 and 8, no detention policy scrapped

Maharashtra government reintroduced annual examinations for Classes 5 and 8, allowing schools to detain students if the students fail to clear the exams in the second attempt.

A notification was issued by the Education Department to this effect on June 23. This notification was introduced in the backdrop of the Centre amending Right to Education Act, stating that no student could be failed or detained till Class 8.

Under the RTE 2009, schools could not detain any student until Class 8 as per the no detention policy.

The notification said that the annual examination will be held at the end of the academic year of Class 5 and 8.

If the child fails to pass the examination, additional guidance will be provided and re-examination will be held in two months. But if the child fails to clear the re-examination, then he or she will be held back in the same Class, it said.

It, however, made it clear that no student will not be expelled from the school till the completion of elementary education.

The amendment made to the RTE in 2019 empowered states to reintroduce exams and detain students if they failed to clear them.