Annual exams, scrapping of no-fail policy to be implemented in Maharashtra schools
Annual exams, scrapping of no-fail policy to be implemented in Maharashtra schools(Representational Image)
With effect from this academic year, schools throughout Maharashtra state are permitted to discontinue the no-fail policy and hold annual examinations for classes V and VIII.
Students in classes V and VIII will now only be promoted if they receive at least 35% of the possible points in the annual exams, which will be held in April in accordance with the second semester syllabus, according to a government resolution (GR) released on Thursday.
The Maharashtra Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011 were modified by the state government in May, eliminating the no-detention rule for classes V and VIII. Details regarding the reexamination, annual exams, and detention of students in classes V and VIII were laid out in Thursday’s GR.
Before the new academic year starts in June, students who fail one or more subjects may retake the test. Students who retake an exam may receive up to 10 grace marks in a maximum of three subjects. Those who do not pass the re-examination may be held back in class.
Students in class VIII will appear for a 60-mark paper with 10 marks for oral exams, while students in class V will appear for a 50-mark paper with 10 marks for oral exams. Although the state will provide sample question papers, the schools will determine the questions. Students in class VIII will appear for three language papers, mathematics, sciences, and social sciences; class V students will appear for three language papers, mathematics, and environmental studies 1 and 2.
To keep an eye on student exams and detention, state, district, and taluka committees will be established. Teachers drew attention to the fact that the GR makes no mention of whether or not student marks from exams or assessments from the first semester can be taken into account.
In contrast to the National Curriculum Framework released in August, which gave parents, guardians, and students the last say when it came to detaining children in classes V and VIII, the state’s detention policy gives schools the authority to make the final decision based on how well students perform on the re-examination. Although the move has been well received by schools, parents are uneasy.
According to the Right to Education (RTE) Act of 2009, all students in classes I through IV and classes VI through VII will be automatically promoted to the next class. Schools are permitted to detain students in class IX due to poor performance. The Act states that schools cannot expel a student until class VIII, even with the detention policy in place.
