Ministry of HRD is planning to bring amendments in the Right to Education (RTE) Act in the upcoming budget session. HRD minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday said that the amendment bill was ready and should be passed in the budget session of parliament.
The amendments relate to revised "no-detention" policy in schools. The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2010, mandated that no child should be failed and detained in school until the completion of elementary education (till Class 8). Under the revised policy, if a child fails in class V, he or she shall be given one more chance to clear it. If student fails again, he or she shall be detained in the same class.
The Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE)—the highest advisory body of the government on education—in its meeting on October 25, 2016 recommended that the no-detention clause in the RTE Act be amended. This, according to CABE, could result in children from Class V till Class VIII to continue in the same class if they fail the school examination.
Javadekar also said that the ministry was working on defining learning outcomes for each class and that it should be applicable from 2017 onwards. He also talked about importance of teacher training and said ministry was looking to incorporate student feedback while evaluating a teacher.
