PANAJI
The Goa government has decided to continue the “no-detention” policy for Classes V and VIII for the academic year 2026–27, under which no student will be held back due to poor academic performance.
The decision has been taken pending detailed guidelines from the Union Ministry of Education following amendments to the Right to Education (RTE) Act rules in December 2024.
According to the government, the Union Ministry has amended the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2024, which were notified in December 2024. However, there has been no official scrapping of the no-detention policy so far.
Speaking to The Goan, Education Secretary Prasad Lolayekar said the government would continue with the no-fail policy for the coming academic year until the guidelines for its implementation are received from the Centre. “Let me clear it. The Centre has not scrapped the no-detention policy. They have only amended the 2010 Rules under the RTE Act. The guidelines from the Centre on how to implement the amendment are yet to be issued,” he said.
The Ministry of Education’s notification dated December 16, 2024, which amends the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010, allows schools to fail students who do not clear year-end examinations.
The gazette notification empowers State governments to conduct regular examinations and detain students who fail to meet promotion criteria. It also calls for remedial measures to address learning gaps among struggling students.
This marks a shift from the long-standing policy introduced under the Right to Education Act, 2009 and implemented in 2010, which ensured that students from Classes I to VIII could not be detained or expelled due to poor academic performance.
The objective of the no-detention policy was to reduce academic stress among young learners by removing the fear of failure. It replaced traditional annual examinations with a more holistic framework known as Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), which assesses students on academic performance as well as social development, behaviour, and overall personality growth.
Following a 2019 amendment to the RTE Act, a provision was introduced allowing the “appropriate government” to decide whether students in Classes V and VIII could be detained. Since then, around 16 States and two Union Territories have done away with the no-detention policy for these grades.
