Maharashtra brings back annual exams & detention for class V, VIII students | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI: Schools across the state have been allowed to hold annual exams for class V and VIII and do away with the no-fail policy from this academic year. A government resolution (GR) issued on Thursday said that class V and VIII students will now be promoted only if they score a minimum of 35% marks in the annual exams which will be held in April based on the second semester syllabus.

In May, the state government had amended the Maharashtra Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011 to do away with the no-detention policy in class V and VIII. Thursday’s GR chalked out details of annual exams, re-examination and detention of class V and VIII students.
Students who fail in one or more subjects will be allowed a re-examination in June, before the new academic session begins. A total of 10 grace marks in a maximum of three subjects can be given to students appearing for re-examination. Those who fail in the re-examination can be detained in the class.
While class V students will appear for a 50-mark paper, including 10 marks for oral exams, class VIII students will appear for a 60-mark paper, including 10 marks for orals. The question papers will be set by the schools though the state will release sample question papers. Class V students will appear for three language papers, mathematics and environmental studies 1 and 2, and class VIII students will appear for three language papers, mathematics, sciences and social sciences.
Committees will be set up at the state, district and taluka levels to monitor the exams and detention of students. Teachers pointed out that the GR is silent on whether marks obtained by students in exams/assessments in the first semester can be considered.
Unlike the National Curriculum Framework released in August, which gave students, parents and guardians the final say on detaining children in class V and VIII, the state’s detention policy allows schools to take the final decision based on students’ performance in the re-examination. While schools have welcomed the move, parents are jittery. “Parents will not air their views and concerns fearing harassment by use of the detention policy by schools,” said a parent-activist from Mumbai.
For class I to IV and class VI to VII, all students will be automatically promoted to the next class as per the Right To Education (RTE) Act 2009. In class IX, schools are allowed to detain students over poor performance. Despite the detention policy, schools will not be allowed to expel a student till class VIII, as per the Act.
“It is a good decision to bring back annual exams as it will help know a student’s progress in the primary and secondary levels,” said Shirley Pillai, principal of Powai English School.