The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi Government welcomed the rollout of the ‘No-detention Policy’ by the Union Government on Saturday in the 56th General Council Meeting of the National Council of Educational Research Training (NCERT). Under this Policy, “No students should be ‘failed’ and detained up to Class 8th grade.
No-detention Policy was introduced by the Central Government in 2009 under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act (RTE). It is also considered as a right of every child between the ages of 6 and 14 under Article 21A and specifies minimum norms in elementary schools.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the Education portfolio has suggested several reforms in the field of education and academic while speaking at the 56th General Council Meeting of the NCERT.
“I welcome the no-detention policy by the Government. But the approach is partial and as a nation we must say that we will re-introduce it with full preparations. Let’s prepare for 10-years to re-introduce it. Make the necessary changes in our curriculum, teaching systems, train our teachers and do things required to implement it properly. Make it a reverse project and set a deadline for both preparations and implementation,” said the deputy chief minister.
Lauding Centre’s move on the educational change, Sisodia said, “our government sets learning outcomes for the curriculum taught in our schools. Like if a chapter is introduced in the curriculum or text book of a certain class, the learning outcome is defined. But unfortunately these learning outcomes have been limited to wishful thinking because the ultimate teaching that is taking place in our classes is not based on learning outcomes but is based on examination outcomes”.
Suggesting reforms, he said that new approach towards teaching techniques and exams should be introduced. “The teacher who is teaching the subject does not keep learning outcomes in mind and rather his or her mindset becomes captive of the questions asked in last five years in the subject.”
Delhi Government has earlier opposed the no-detention policy and also wrote many letters and memorandum to the Union Minister of Human Resources Department (MHRD).
“We also need to revisit out NCERT text books. Everything changes with time and the new challenges. Today, the challenges are not the same which were faced two decades ago, then why not redesign and change our curriculum according to the need of the time. We must make changes to our NCERT books so that our future, our kids are more equipped to excel in the world,” added Sisodia.