The “No Detention Policy” is amended by the Ministry of Education

INN/New Delhi, @Infodeaofficial

The Central Government modified the regulations under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, by publishing a notification (G.S.R. 777(E)) in the Indian Gazette on December 21, 2024. Significant modifications are introduced in the revised regulations, known as the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Rules, 2024, to ensure equity and inclusion while fostering student learning.

A revised “Detention Policy” that applies to children in Grades 5 and 8 in schools run, owned, or controlled by the Central Government or the Union Territory administrator—who does not have a legislature—is introduced in this modification.

Although the RTE Act was amended in 2019, it was decided to wait for the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, and National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) to be finalized. This means that if a student does not meet the promotion criteria after the annual examination, they will receive additional instruction and have the opportunity to retake the exam within two months of the results being announced. If they still do not meet the promotion criteria after the retake, they will remain in the same grade. The rules have been announced following thorough stakeholder consultation.

According to states and union territories, 18 states and union territories—including Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and Dadar & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu—have issued notifications for the implementation of the provisions of the RTE(Amendment) Act, 2019.

The UT of Puducherry and the State of Haryana have not yet made a decision on the subject. The no detention policy is still in effect for Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Island, Chandigarh, Ladakh, and Lakshadweep. The amendment upholds every kid’s right to an education by reaffirming that no child may be dismissed from school before completing elementary school.