New Education Policy: Reinstate detention of students after class V

An expert committee, formed to formulate a new education policy has submitted its report comprising various proposals to introduce changes in the Indian education system.

According to Indian Express, the committee, headed by the former cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian, has proposed the government to reintroduce the detention of students after class V.

The panel also recommended to set up an all-India cadre of educational services on the lines of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

New Education Policy: Panel submits recommendations to HRD Ministry

Key points to detain students

• As per the panel suggestions, the government emphasises detention of a student only if the child fails to clear previous class exams despite making three attempts each year to clear the backlogs.
• "As of now, under the Right to Education, all children are ensured promotion each year up to Class VIII. As per the new proposal, a student will be tested each year after Class V, but will not be promoted to the higher class until he/she clears the exam - a student will get three attempts each year," the Committee stated.
• Such students can be sent to remedial classes, which will be conducted during vacations and after school hours. If the student fails to meet the expectation, he/she can be sent to vocational stream.
• The no-fail policy, which is presently incorporated till class VIII, has drawn flaks from the state government seeking to scrap the policy as the policy is affecting the quality of education at the elementary school level.
• Since the promotion till class VIII is assured, students are not considering learning as crucial and are getting enrolled for the higher classes without having basic comprehension of elementary learning, which is resulting in mass failure of students in class IX.

The aim is to inculcate value education in each and every Indian student, the panel opines.

• An all-India cadre of educational services has been suggested to ensure "credible leadership" in the education sector. The officer should be recruited by UPSC.
• NAAC should have trained auditors to do quality assessment and infrastructure of all institutions every three years.