In a significant move, the Central government has removed the "no-detention policy" for Classes V and VIII students. This means that students in these classes who fail their year-end exams will now be held back and have to repeat the grade.

“It was decided that students of Classes V and VIII who have failed their exams even after several attempts will be detained,” Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education & Literacy, announced today, December 23.

Taking to X, he wrote, “Failed students will have a chance to retake the test within two months, but if they fail again, they will not be promoted.”

He further clarified that no student would be expelled from school until Class VIII.

Explaining the motivation behind the move, he wrote, “Central Government has taken this decision intending to improve the learning outcome among children.”

More than 3,000 Central government-run schools, such as Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and Sainik Schools, will be impacted by this new decision, which also reverses a 2019 amendment to the Right to Education Act.

According to India Today, the government also stated that teachers will provide additional guidance to students who are falling behind to help them close any learning gaps. However, the government has stated that no students will be expelled before finishing elementary school.

Although education is primarily a state responsibility, the central government's decision comes after 16 states and two union territories had previously phased out the "no-detention policy" for these classes.

While some states and union territories have yet to make a decision, others have chosen to stick with the policy.