The Maharashtra government is mulling the possibility of bringing back final exams for students of classes 3 to 8. However, there has been no plan to detain the students for poor academic performance. Schools have to promote students from classes 1 to 8, as per the Right to Education Act. The assessment of students is being done through their performance throughout the academic year.
Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar had earlier said the state government will form a committee to take a call on re-introducing the examinations for students of classes 3 to 8. The state government had discontinued unit tests and term-end exams 10 years ago. The RTE Act was amended in 2019 to allow states to hold yearly exam for classes 3 to 8 and also allow detention. Maharashtra government has not issued a resolution on the amended Act, reported a leading news daily.
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Schools in the state have been conducting exams-quarterly and semester-to assess students of classes 3 to 8. Those who perform poorly in these exams will have to go through remedial classes conducted to improve their learning outcome. The education minister said the committee will also discuss exams but there will be no question of detaining students.
“A committee of experts, including psychologists, will be formed to take a decision about bringing back examinations for students of Classes 3 to 8. However, we don’t want any student to be declared fail in these examinations till Class 8,” the state school education minister said.
As part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Maharashtra government has been planning to reduce the burden of school-going students. The minister has proposed dividing textbooks into three parts and attaching blank pages for students to take down notes, thus avoiding carrying separate notebooks. A decision will also be taken in the state cabinet to provide free books and textbooks to students, he said, adding that 85 per cent students in the state will benefit from the move.
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