By Nafisa Khatoon –
The Uttar Pradesh government has recently issued a notification to promote all the students of class I-VIII in Basic Education Council schools, regardless of low marks in the annual examination. In the current academic year, the state will continue the no-detention policy (NDP).
“The rationale for continuing NDP in state schools is to follow Article 21(A) of the Indian Constitution, 2002 by the Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act. It ensures free and mandatory access to education, termed as the free right to education (RTE) for all children aged six to fourteen years as their fundamental right. Under this, no student can fail or be expelled from RTE school until they complete primary classes I to VIII,” says an official of the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Department.
While several states are in favour of scrapping NDP which is a part of RTE 2009, to regulate the deteriorating standards of learning among school students.
The step will also reduce the state’s school student dropout rate. Several initiatives are also undertaken to make a distinction between inefficient and efficient students and convert slow learners into efficient learners.
“To boost learning continuity among school students, the state government has been following four assessment criteria, including the remedial learning module, spot school assessment, NIPUN Assessment Test (NAT). Teachers are maintaining the assessment momentum,” says the official.
To improve learning outcomes, especially for Hindi and Mathematics, teachers are tasked to conduct remedial classes for struggling students every three months on a daily or weekly basis. Then, in the subsequent exam cycle, an improved academic standard of students is achieved.
“The school student enrolment in the state was 44.3% in 2018. By 2022, it witnessed a jump of 15% because of NDP which has increased the enrolment to 59.6%. Besides this, the reading proficiency of class V and VIII students has also improved. It has gone up from 36.2% to 38.3% in the year 2018 and 2022 respectively for class V students, while for class VIII it grew from 62% to 62.6%,” adds the official.
NDP is also effective in Gujrat state schools. Rajesh Tiwari, principal, RBK Hanumant High School, Mahuva, Gujarat, views the policy as a constructive step as it has a psychological and pedagogical approach. However, there is a scope to restructure and design different evaluation patterns/systems. “I have a strong belief that the assessment pattern needs to be changed the evaluation should not be restricted to a pen-paper test. The internal assessment will also observe and evaluate the students through innovative internal assessment techniques, making the learning process more holistic. We carry out numerous field trips and teach outside the classroom atmosphere. We administer a series of class tests after completing each unit/ chapter of all subjects. And most importantly, Languages are taught through four essential modules – listening, speaking, reading, and writing,” says Tiwari.
However, in Delhi, the NDP was scrapped last year. Under a new rule, a student who fails an examination will have to appear for a re-examination and on failing the same, the student will have to repeat the academic session. “I am in favour of doing away with NDP in Delhi. Without any assessment, it is difficult to determine the children’s developmental goals and competencies. These help in evaluating the students’ basic level of understanding of core concepts of several subjects. This will ensure maximum learning outcomes and readiness of the child to move to a higher grade. As a school leader, I would suggest implementing NEP 2020 & NCF for foundational years in true spirit. Experiential learning with multi-modal assessment is the right way forward,” says Sudha Acharya, chairperson of, National Progressive Schools’ Conference (NPSC).
The Uttar Pradesh government has recently issued a notification to promote all the students of class I-VIII in Basic Education Council schools, regardless of low marks in the annual examination. In the current academic year, the state will continue the no-detention policy (NDP).
“The rationale for continuing NDP in state schools is to follow Article 21(A) of the Indian Constitution, 2002 by the Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act. It ensures free and mandatory access to education, termed as the free right to education (RTE) for all children aged six to fourteen years as their fundamental right. Under this, no student can fail or be expelled from RTE school until they complete primary classes I to VIII,” says an official of the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Department.
While several states are in favour of scrapping NDP which is a part of RTE 2009, to regulate the deteriorating standards of learning among school students.
The step will also reduce the state’s school student dropout rate. Several initiatives are also undertaken to make a distinction between inefficient and efficient students and convert slow learners into efficient learners.
“To boost learning continuity among school students, the state government has been following four assessment criteria, including the remedial learning module, spot school assessment, NIPUN Assessment Test (NAT). Teachers are maintaining the assessment momentum,” says the official.
To improve learning outcomes, especially for Hindi and Mathematics, teachers are tasked to conduct remedial classes for struggling students every three months on a daily or weekly basis. Then, in the subsequent exam cycle, an improved academic standard of students is achieved.
“The school student enrolment in the state was 44.3% in 2018. By 2022, it witnessed a jump of 15% because of NDP which has increased the enrolment to 59.6%. Besides this, the reading proficiency of class V and VIII students has also improved. It has gone up from 36.2% to 38.3% in the year 2018 and 2022 respectively for class V students, while for class VIII it grew from 62% to 62.6%,” adds the official.
NDP is also effective in Gujrat state schools. Rajesh Tiwari, principal, RBK Hanumant High School, Mahuva, Gujarat, views the policy as a constructive step as it has a psychological and pedagogical approach. However, there is a scope to restructure and design different evaluation patterns/systems. “I have a strong belief that the assessment pattern needs to be changed the evaluation should not be restricted to a pen-paper test. The internal assessment will also observe and evaluate the students through innovative internal assessment techniques, making the learning process more holistic. We carry out numerous field trips and teach outside the classroom atmosphere. We administer a series of class tests after completing each unit/ chapter of all subjects. And most importantly, Languages are taught through four essential modules – listening, speaking, reading, and writing,” says Tiwari.
However, in Delhi, the NDP was scrapped last year. Under a new rule, a student who fails an examination will have to appear for a re-examination and on failing the same, the student will have to repeat the academic session. “I am in favour of doing away with NDP in Delhi. Without any assessment, it is difficult to determine the children’s developmental goals and competencies. These help in evaluating the students’ basic level of understanding of core concepts of several subjects. This will ensure maximum learning outcomes and readiness of the child to move to a higher grade. As a school leader, I would suggest implementing NEP 2020 & NCF for foundational years in true spirit. Experiential learning with multi-modal assessment is the right way forward,” says Sudha Acharya, chairperson of, National Progressive Schools’ Conference (NPSC).
