Scrap no-fail policy of RTE: RSS pracharak Dinanath Batra

NEW DELHI: Joining the chorus against the no-detention provision of the Right to Education Act, RSS pracharak Dinanath Batra has said the policy, in its present form, is going against the interest of students and should be repealed.

The no-fail policy, which has been effective in most states since 2010, automatically promotes students up to Class VIII. Although the act does not prohibit schools from conducting regular examinations, it’s illegal for the administration to hold a student back in case he or she fails the test. Critics have argued that the policy has led to poor learning outcome. Batra, who was recently appointed by the Haryana government to lead the revamp of the state education system, agrees.

“The state of affairs is not good. A really big number of students are failing their Class IX exams and teachers are not ready to accept the responsibility for this. They say that the no-detention policy forced them to promote students who learnt little in class,” he told ET. “Several states have expressed the same during consultations held by HRD minister Smriti Irani,” said Batra, who heads the Shiksha Bachao Andolan.