Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Jan 19: The Goa government has decided to continue the “no-detention” policy for students of Classes V and VIII for the academic year 2026–27, under which no student will be detained due to poor academic performance.

The decision has been taken as the state awaits detailed implementation guidelines from the Union Ministry of Education following amendments to the Right to Education (RTE) Act rules notified in December 2024.

Speaking to The Goan, Education Secretary Prasad Lolayekar clarified that the Centre has not scrapped the no-detention policy. “The Union government has only amended the 2010 Rules under the RTE Act. Guidelines on how the amendment should be implemented are yet to be issued. Until then, Goa will continue with the no-fail policy,” he said.

According to the December 16, 2024 notification issued by the Ministry of Education, the amended Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010 empower state governments to conduct regular examinations and detain students in Classes V and VIII who fail to meet promotion criteria. The notification also mandates remedial measures to address learning gaps among underperforming students.

The no-detention policy was originally introduced under the Right to Education Act, 2009 and implemented in 2010, ensuring that students from Classes I to VIII were not detained or expelled for academic reasons. The move aimed to reduce stress among young learners and promote a holistic evaluation system through Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), which assessed academic performance along with behavioural and social development.

Following a 2019 amendment to the RTE Act, states were given the discretion to decide whether to continue the no-detention policy for Classes V and VIII. Since then, around 16 states and two Union Territories have discontinued the policy for these grades. Goa, however, has chosen to retain it for the upcoming academic year.