HYDERABAD: Fearing a rise in the school drop-out rate, district education officers (DEOs) have recommended to the state government to oppose the Centre’s move to scrap the no-detention policy under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. While most states are favouring revocation, Telangana and Karnataka want the provision retained.
The Union HRD ministry is eliciting the views of various stakeholders from village to district levels in all the states for preparing the new education policy (NEP).
Section 16 of the RTE Act mandates that no student be detained or held back in a class until the completion of his/her elementary education _ that is from Class I to Class VIII. In other words, a student gets automatically promoted to the next class until he/she completes the elementary education even if he or she fails in the lower classes.
However, critics in favour of scrapping the no-detention policy argue that it has adversely affected learning and cite the Geeta Bhukkal Committee’s report of 2012 that favoured scrapping of the no-detention policy to buttress their argument.
Those opposing revocation argue that it would further compound the problem of school drop-out, mostly in rural areas.
“If the detention system is reintroduced, it might increase the drop-out rate among girls in villages who attend to a lot of domestic work on a daily basis. If the provision is repealed, several boys and girls in villages are more likely to stop going to school altogether. And this does not serve any purpose,” cautions a senior official of the school education department.
The central government has circulated a questionnaire on 13 broad topics _ increasing learning outcomes, reforming the examination system, strengthening teacher’s education and the like _ to states to gather views from the grass-root level for preparing the new education policy.
Accordingly, the state government began consultations on Tuesday with DEOs and state-level education officials. The process will go on till the end of September. The views of various stakeholders from the state to village level are also being elicited. It will then be sent to the MHRD as the state government’s official position on the issues concerned.
“The DEOs are near-unanimously in favour of retaining the no-detention policy as mandated by the RTE Act,” the senior official added.
Issues & Concerns
■ Section 16 of RTE Act mandates non-detention of a student up to Class VIII.
■ TS Govt begins consultations with DEOs and other stakeholders on the views sought by the Centre for preparing a new national education policy.
■ DEOs oppose the move to scrap the no-detention policy, fearing a rise in school drop-out rate.
■ Those advocating re-introduction of detention saystem argue that non-detention is resulting in ‘poor learning outcomes’.