CHENNAI: All state board students in Classes 1-8 in the academic year 2020-21 have been promoted to the next class in accordance with the provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the state Director of Elementary Education said Tuesday.
While Tamil Nadu follows a no-detention policy, Section 16 of the RTE Act 2009 also states that no child can be held back in any class or shall be expelled until the completion of elementary school.
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Issuing directions to School Education Department officials across the state, the Director said that officials should inform all government, government-aided and private state board schools under their jurisdiction to promote all students from Classes 1 to 8.
Officials have further been instructed to direct heads of schools to make an entry of all student names in the pass register. Further instructions will be issued to schools by officials in their districts. Given that Tamil Nadu is currently under lockdown, information on school reopening and distribution of free textbooks and other resources for students will be announced later.
In February, the Tamil Nadu government had already announced that students of Classes 9 to 11 were declared ‘all pass’. The announcement was made in the wake of the second wave in the state. The Board exams for Class 12 students were postponed and students are awaiting the revised exam schedule.