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New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Odisha govt to introduce annual exams for Class V, VIII; scrap no detention rule
BHUBANESWAR : Students of Class V and VIII will now have to appear annual exams for promotion to the next grade at the end of the academic year. The School and Mass Education department on Wednesday informed that the state government has decided to implement significant changes to the Odisha Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010 through the Odisha Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Rules, 2025. Under this amendment, students of Class V and VIII will have to appear for annual examination and if they fail to secure marks to meet the promotion criteria, they will be provided two months of extra teaching by their teachers. The students will have to reappear for the examination and if they do not pass, they will not be promoted. The new rule applies to both government and private schools and will be implemented from the 2025-26 academic session, commissioner-cum-secretary of the department Shalini Pandit said. The amendment, however, makes it clear that no child shall be expelled from school until the completion of elementary education. With foundational learning being given top priority, the move aims at ensuring that the learning levels are reached before students are promoted. The amendment aligns with the National Education Policy-2020 which emphasises the need for continuous assessment and formative evaluation of students to improve learning outcomes. These amendments are in line with Section 38 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, and will come into effect upon their publication in the Odisha Gazette, the department informed. Detaining students in a class based on their annual examination performance was stopped in the state after the Right to Education (RTE) Act was passed in 2009. Section 16 of the RTE Act stipulated that 'no child admitted in a school shall be held back in any class or expelled from school till the completion of elementary education (Classes 1 to 8)'. However, in December last year, the Ministry of Education did away with the 'no detention' policy for students of classes V and VII, allowing schools to fail students who are unable to clear class promotion examinations. States like Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Delhi have already implemented the change. CHANGES Students of Class V and VIII will appear for annual examination If they fail to secure marks to meet the promotion criteria, they will be provided two months of extra teaching by their teachers The students will have to reappear for the examination and if they do not meet the promotion criteria even after re-examination, they will be held back in the same class During this period, class teacher will provide guidance to the child and his/her parents, focusing on addressing learning gaps identified through assessments
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Govt brings back fail system in classes V & VIII
1 2 Bhubaneswar: State govt on Wednesday reintroduced the fail system in the annual examination of classes V and VIII from the current academic session. A notification issued by the school and mass education department said students of classes V and VIII will appear for the annual examination at the end of every academic year. If they fail, they will receive remedial instruction and get a chance to clear a re-examination within two months. "If a child fails in the examination, he shall be given additional instruction and granted opportunity for re-examination within a period of two months from the declaration of the results," the notification read. As per the notification, if a student fails in the re-examination, he/she will be held back in the same class. However, no student can be expelled from school until the completion of elementary education. State govt made amendments to the Odisha Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010, in line with a 2019 central change to the Right To Education (RTE) Act, which allowed states to assess and retain students in certain grades. The new rule, 14A, has been inserted to specify the manner and conditions under which a student may be held back. The amendment is a departure from the existing 'no-detention' policy, which was one of the key features of the RTE Act, 2009, to check the dropout of children who fail in examinations. The decision sparked mixed reactions from educators and parents. "The move will push students and schools to take academic activities more seriously, especially in foundational years. But there is also a need for strong support and proper teaching in schools to ensure no child is left behind," said Sabitri Sethi, parent of a Class VIII student. Some parents, however, are apprehensive about the pressure the move might create. "Failing was abolished from school as it was imposing extra pressure on children. If a student fails twice, it could damage his/her confidence. The focus should be on learning outcomes and not on pass or fail," said Rajendra Patra, another parent. Officials directed all district collectors, block education officers (BEOs) and school administrators to make necessary preparations for the implementation of the new rules from the current academic session. The notification will be published in the Odisha Gazette and made available on the department's website, official sources said.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Odisha introduces academic accountability in schools through examinations
The Odisha government has proposed an amendment to the existing class promotion policy, allowing students in Class V and Class VIII an additional opportunity to clear their examinations for promotion. Those who fail to do so will be required to repeat the same class. Introducing amendment to ensure academic accountability in schools, the government has proposed significant changes to the Odisha Right of Children to free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010 through the Odisha Right of Children to free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Rules, 2025. According to government, a structured examination system will be introduced for Class V and Class VIII students at the end of every academic year in order to ensure that foundational learning levels are achieved before students are promoted. 'All students of Class V and Class VIII will now have to appear for annual examinations. If a child fails in these examinations, he or she will be provided additional instruction and an opportunity for re-examination within two months of result declaration,' says School and Mass Education department in a statement. 'Students who fail to meet the required promotion criteria even after re-examination may be held back in the same class,' it says. Under the existing class promotion policy, every student will automatically move to next class irrespective of their performance in examinations. The State government has made it clear that no child will be expelled from school until the completion of elementary education. 'These amendments are in line with Section 38 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, and will come into effect upon their publication in the Odisha Gazette. The changes reflect the State's commitment to raising academic standards while ensuring no child is denied the right to education,' the statement mentions.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
HC fixes May 7 to hear petitions on dances in bars
Cuttack: The Orissa high court has fixed May 7 for the final hearing on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of The Odisha Excise (Amendment) Rules, 2024. These amendments to provisions of Rule 44 of the Odisha Excise Rules, 2017, prohibit dance performances in bars . The date was set after a fresh petition challenging the amendment was presented on Wednesday. The court was informed by additional govt advocate Bimbisar Dash that three similar petitions are pending before this court, where pleadings are complete. The two-judge bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M S Raman stated: "The aforesaid writ petitions were listed earlier, but the hearing could not be concluded. Since identical issues are involved in the instant writ petition, let this writ petition be tagged with the aforesaid writ petitions." "We do not find any justification in inviting the affidavit in the instant writ petition as the pleadings are complete in other writ petitions and, therefore, filing of the affidavit is dispensed with. Let this writ petition along with the three others be listed on May 7, 2025, to be taken up at 2.00 pm," the bench said. A Bhubaneswar-based hotel, having bar, filed the fresh petition, while similar petitions were also filed earlier by three other bars. The Odisha Excise (Amendment) Rules, 2024, amend the Odisha Excise Rules, 2017, primarily concerning the excise policy for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The amendment, published in the Odisha Gazette on January 31, 2025, includes changes related to licensing, particularly for "ON" shops (bars) and "OFF" shops (liquor stores), and regulates the conduct of musical performances within licensed premises. "No dance performances shall be permitted within any on-shop premises; however, the on-shops may host musical performances or orchestras within their licensed establishments," read the new excise policy. Accordingly, ON shops (bars) can conduct musical performances or orchestras within their licensed premises, provided they obtain permission under Rule 44(5) of the Odisha Excise Rules, 2017.
