Press "Enter" to skip to content

Board Exams for Classes 5, 8 to be held from this academic year: TN Education Dept

Sources from the Tamil Nadu School Education Department have put to rest uncertainty on whether Board Exams will be held for Classes 5 and 8 in the state. Public exams for Classes 5 and 8 will indeed be held across Tamil Nadu schools, beginning this academic year (2019-2020), a highly placed source within the School Education Department confirmed to TNM. 

This clarification comes after a few media reports on Wednesday claimed that board exams for Classes 5 and 8 will be conducted only after a period of 3 years. Conducting exams for these two classes was proposed by the Central government back in February 2019, when the Right to Education (RTE) Act was amended. The RTE amendments effected by the Centre specifically prohibit schools from expelling students who fail their exams at the end of Classes 5 and 8, as education has been made compulsory for students until age 14. Education falls under the Concurrent List allowing both the state and the Union governments to legislate on the subject.

While the Tamil Nadu government has decided to hold the exams, no student will be detained for the next three years (until 2021-2022) based of their performance in the said exams. 

“We are holding the exams to gauge the learning goals of students. This would help understand where our students are in terms of their learning goals. However, nobody will be failed. Based on the outcomes of the exams, remedial measures will be taken to ensure that students are able to reach the learning goals that have been set for them,” the source added. 

Holding exams without any detentions for the next three years will also help identify those schools where children are facing difficulties. It will also help the government offer additional aid, support and training to teachers in order to equip them better, the source added. 

Tamil Nadu has frequently advocated the no-detention policy in schools, which does not permit detaining of students who fails exams until Class 8. However, with the latest RTE amendments, the Centre has scrapped the no-detention policy, leaving the states with the option to detain students based on their performance. 

“Not holding exams is not an option for the Tamil Nadu government. But not detaining students is an option. For the next three years, no student will be detained based on their performance in these exams. After the academic year 2021-2022, whichever government is in power will decide whether to detain students or not,” the source added. 

Last week, Tamil Nadu government issued a GO announcing Board Exams for Classes 5 and 8 in all government, government-aided schools and other categories of schools which do follow the state syllabus. 

However, the Tamil Nadu government’s GO came a relief for students as it upholds the no-detention policy for the next three years at least. The GO also explains how underperformance in the said exams will be handled. The order explains that if a child fails an exam at the end of Class 5 or 8, he or she will be allowed to sit for a re-examination within two months. 

For the time being, performance of students in the school exams will be used to improve their learning goals and skillsets and will not be published. 

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government’s decision has drawn flak most opposition parties in the state. While DMK Chief MK Stalin said that this would create stress among students who already have to face public exams in classes 10 and 12. 

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan and Chief of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), condemned the TN government’s decision in a video that he put up on social media. “How cruel is it to make a beetle fly after making it lift a stone? It’s even more cruel to dump the burden of public exams on a 10-year-old boy. Whatever this education system offers our kids, it will definitely offer mental stress. With this new rule, exam performance will not be great. For children and parents fear of exams will only increase. There are many reasons why I quit studying after Class 8. But today, if a student stops studying after Class 8 the only reason is your new exam rule,” Kamal said.

(With inputs from Megha Kaveri) 

Source: The News Minute