The Rajasthan legislative assembly on Thursday (17 September 2015) passed a bill amending the Right to Education Act, in order to do away with the “no detention policy” up to class 8 in government recognized schools. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2015, was passed by voice vote.

Education Minister Vasudev Devnani, while presenting the bill, said that it was “really a proud moment” that Rajasthan has become first state in the country to undertake such an amendment in the Act.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 provides right to all children to free and compulsory quality education but after the implementation of this Act some provisions are prohibiting quality education, the bill notes.

According to the amendment bill, the no detention policy upto class 8 was creating problems to such children who are not attaining minimum level of appropriate class and these were realized when these children are essentially promoted in the next class. Monitoring of providing quality education to children by the teacher is not done by the school management committee.

“It will now be binding on the state government and school management committee to ensure quality education and to provide that children may not be promoted in higher classes unless they have acquired class appropriate learning level,” the bill notes.

The bill has mainly amended sections 8, 16, 21, 24 and 29 of the RTE Act.

In section 16, the following proviso has been added: “Provided that if a child has not achieved class appropriate learning level in a class, he may be held back in that class.”