SCERT directs schools not to expel pupils till Class VIII

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, March 3

State Council for Education, Research and Training (SCERT), Punjab, on Saturday directed all schools in the state not to expel a child from the school till he/ she completes elementary education (up to Class VIII).

The school may hold back a student in Class V and VIII if he/ she fails in the annual examinations but the child shall be given additional instructions and granted opportunity for re-examination within a period of two months from the date of declaration of the result, the director of SCERT has told all district education officers and school heads in the state.

The SCERT’s directions came after the Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification, making amendments to an Act.

Before this amendment, there was no provision of conducting annual examinations of Class V and Class VIII students in the schools under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act.

There were arguments that promoting all children automatically to the next class reduces the ability of children to learn and capability of teachers to teach. Most of these automatically promoted students easily passed the annual examinations of Class IX as these were held at the school level. But in Class X exams, that are conducted by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), these students, particularly boys, performed “poorly”.

After the PSEB registered a poor pass percentage in Class X in the past two years, 59.47 per cent in 2018 and 57.50 per cent in 2017, officials were hopeful that the new amendments to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act would improve education standards in government schools, particularly at the elementary level.

After amending this provision to the Act, a regular examination would be conducted for Class V and Class VIII in all government schools this time, said the director.

Sources in district Education Department said in March 2018, the total pass percentage of Class X in the state was 59.47 —62.09 per cent for regular students and 31.75 per cent for open school students. The pass percentage of girls was 70.43 and that of boys was 55.48.

Blaming the poor performance of students on no detention clause for students failing in Class V and Class VIII, the authorities said a large number of children in Class III were unable to read a Class I-level text due to the “declining learning levels” in elementary education.

They said the students were unable to do basic arithmetic as there was no assessment of their learning outcomes to determine their promotion to the next class.

Hopeful of improving results

• Before the amendment to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, there was no provision of conducting annual examinations of Class V and Class VIII students in the schools

• There were arguments that promoting all children automatically to the next class reduces the ability of children to learn and capability of teachers to teach 

• Most of these automatically promoted students easily passed the annual examinations of Class IX as these were held at the school level. But in Class X exams, that are conducted by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), these students, particularly boys, performed “poorly”

• Blaming the poor performance of students on no detention clause for students failing in Class V and Class VIII, the authorities said a large number of children in Class III were unable to read a Class I-level text due to the “declining learning levels” in elementary education