The students of Classes 5 and 8 may have to
appear for annual examinations as per the announcement made by the government
on 24th November. The National Council of Educational Research and Training
(NCERT) conducted a survey which indicated a need of significant improvement in
the learning levels among the students, prompting this decision.
The 'no detention policy' under the Right
to Education (RTE) Act 2009, has resulted in the automatic promotion of
students to the next class up to Class 8, without being held back, even if they
do not get a passing grade. But in October, the Central Advisory Board of
Education (CABE) had agreed to amend the 'no detention policy' and allow the
state governments to decide on introducing annual examinations for students of
Classes 5 and 8.
Minister of State for Human Resource
Development, Upendra Kushwaha, told the Rajya Sabha, "According to an
annual survey by the National Council of Educational Research and Training
(NCERT) on the learning achievement of children in classes 3, 5, 8 and 10;
there is a need for significant improvement in learning levels." He also
said in the written reply, "The survey also noted that the learning level
of children depends on several factors, including socioeconomic,
socio-geographic, the educational background of the students, availability of
the basic infrastructure/amenities in schools, availability of trained and
competent teachers in the schools and so on."
Section 29 of the RTE Act stipulates that
there should be Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) of every child to
assess their learning levels and provide additional instruction accordingly.
Citing the section, Kushwaha said, "Under the CCE framework, schools, and
respective governments are free to conduct periodic examinations for children
of all levels."
Tags: Learning Levels
Cabe
Ncert
Cce
Annual Exams For Classes 5 And 8
