Thursday, Apr 25, 2024 | Last Update : 06:35 AM IST
Govt brings bill to end ‘no-detention’ policy
The Delhi government on Friday tabled a bill seeking to do away with the no-detention policy till Class 8 by amending relevant sections of the Right to Education Act, which it said is “prohibiting” qu
The Delhi government on Friday tabled a bill seeking to do away with the no-detention policy till Class 8 by amending relevant sections of the Right to Education Act, which it said is “prohibiting” quality education in schools.
The tabling of the bill comes a week after deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia introduced two other legislations relating to reforms in the education sector, mainly aimed at reining in private schools by doing away with donations and screening process for nursery admissions.
Tabling the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Delhi Amendment) Bill, 2015, the deputy chief minister cited statistics of children failing in Classes 6, 7 and 8. However, they could not be detained due to the said provision of the RTE Act.
The clause, “Provided that if a child has not achieved class appropriate learning level in a class, he may be held back in that class” is sought to be added to a section of the Act.
“No child admitted in a school shall be held back in any class or expelled from school till the completion of elementary education,” it says.
Mr Sisodia also called for systemic overhaul of the teachers’ training programme, saying the six months or two years course were not sufficient.
“Teachers build human beings unlike engineers or doctors who focus on say body parts or machines.
“Going by the implications of the policy, one feels that it needs to be reviewed. The policy is good but was introduced without preparation which is damaging it. Our government is focusing on preparation before implementing it,” Mr Sisodia said.
Around 14, 18 and 25 per cent Delhi government school students of Class 6 failed in 2011-12, 12-13 and 13-14, respectively.
In Class 7, 14, 16 and 24 per cent and in Class 9, 12, 13 and 21 per cent in the corresponding years, Mr Sisodia said.
The RTE Act came into force in 2010, thus limiting the government’s role to detain students even if they fared badly. The amendments to the Sections 8 and 16 of the Act seek to undo that.
