SCERT revises non-detention policy

Our Correspondent KOHIMA, APRIL 14 Following the criticism and protests from various quarters against the non-detention policy provided for elementary level of education (classes I to VIII) under the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009, the State Council of Educational Research & Training (SCERT) Nagaland has reviewed the policy and made several changes in the policy for the state of Nagaland. The revised guidelines of the policy will come into force with immediate effect. This was announced by SCERT director Vipralhou Kesiezie on Tuesday in the state capital. Addressing a press conference at the SCERT Hall Kohima, the official explained that the non-detention policy was provided for the benefit of students where the pace of learning of individual student is to be regularly monitored on a daily basis and timely remedial teachings be arranged as per the needs of the students. Subsequently, he said, Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system was put into place to monitor and ensure students’ learning. However, he lamented that the CCE system was not properly implemented in the state and many students began to neglect their studies knowing that they will not be detained irrespective of their performances, under the policy. “This has resulted in the quality of education being undermined to a great extent,” Kesiezie stated. The official asserted that two years after the implementation of RTE Act in Nagaland, a glaring documentary evidence indicating negative impacts of the non-detention policy surfaced. In 2013, out of 35,000 students who appeared for Class-IX examinations, almost 41% (ie, 15,000 students) had failed, he explained and added there are reports that in 2014, 4000 students of Class-IX have dropped out of school before the completion of the academic year. “Non detention policy is a good system, but it doesn’t suit our situation,” he said and remarked that many organizations including student bodies, school authorities and educationists and parents have lodged complaints to the state government that the policy should be reviewed and revoked. Following intense deliberations and studies of reports on the matter, SCERT, the academic authority of the state under RTE Act 2009 has come to the conclusion that the non-detention policy has affected both the students and the teachers’ attitude towards education. The council has reviewed the policy and has come out with revised guidelines for the state. SCERT officials feel that not just the students, but teachers are also to be blamed for the negative impact of the policy as many have started developing a casual and complacent approach towards their teaching profession that learning is not taking place inside the classrooms. The policy demands that teachers take responsibility and help students cope in areas where they are weak, however, the policy has not been followed in the right spirit and only a few educators are found to actually practice it. When asked if the immediate enforcement of the revised guidelines will be inconvenient to the schools as they are well into the first quarter of the academic year, SCERT officials are of the view that there will not be any inconvenience. They emphasized the need to implement the new guidelines to the advantage of the students as these are revised measures to improve the performance of both the students and teachers, and avoid further negative ramifications. The revised guidelines require three evaluations in a year but as per the request of All Nagaland Private Schools’ Association (ANPSA), the SCERT informed that four quarterly assessments may be done this current year. SCERT officials also informed that a suitable PCR will be charted out for schools. Besides media persons and SCERT officials, representatives of Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), ENSF and ANPSA were also present at the occasion. Mention may be made here that the non-detention policy has been criticised by many across the country and the Central Advisory Board of Education has also recommended to the Centre to review the policy last December. 1. Henceforth students will be declared either as “Qualified” or “Needs Improvement” (passed or detained respectively). 2. Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation will be continued where weightage will be given to three areas- Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor domains, for all round development of the child. 3. There will be three times evaluation or examination in a year with the existing pattern of 40% Internal and 60% External. Minimum qualifying marks will be 40% for both Internal and External respectively. 4. Remedial teaching and improvement examination will commence from the first evaluation/examination for students who fail to secure minimum qualifying marks. 5. For the final result, in order to continue with the spirit and the philosophy of CCE and to make the evaluation student-friendly, there will be provision for improvement examination for those students who are graded “Needs Improvement” so that they are eligible for promotion to the next higher class. The school will conduct “Improvement Examination” for those students within a week’s time after declaration of the final results. 6. Students failing to qualify in the “Improvement Examination” despite the opportunity provided shall be detained in the same class.