In Departure from Education Policy, States May Get to take No-detention Call

Panaji: In what seems to be a departure from the Right to Education policy, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday said the state governments will be allowed to decide on the no-detention policy in their schools.

"There is a demand from a lot of states to allow the detention of the students because everyone is promoted up to eighth standard and then there is a pressure in class nine," Javadekar said addressing a function in Panaji.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, too, was present at the function.

"There is a pressure in ninth standard because we have not learnt anything for eight years. We can't waste the generation like this," he said.

The minister said the Union government will allow states to decide to detain the student after giving him fair chance. "He will be assessed first in March and then in June. It will not be detention for the sake of detention. It is about capabilities and setting up benchmarks," he said.

Javadekar said the implementation of the Right to Education has turned education into a disaster in some states.

"I have seen many states where schools have become mid-day meal schools," he said.

"Aana, Khana aur Jana (coming, eating and going) has become trend in schooling. This is because there is no accountability. There is no benchmarking," the minister said.

"What you find is that sixth standard student can't do Maths of class three and seventh standard student can't read class four lessons," he said.

"This happens because we have not defined benchmarks," the minister added.

Javadekar said that the Union government is also drafting the educational policy to include community in this sector.

"We must understand that the community support to the educational support which existed in the past should be revived," the minister said.

"New rules are being drafted wherein when government constructs a school in the village, the compound wall would be funded by the villagers. We need to involve community and I am sure people will accept our thinking," he said.

Heaping praise on Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, Javadekar said the latter not being part of the Modi cabinet is a loss to national politics.

"It's actually loss to the national politics but Goa needs and loves Parrikar. Therefore, people have brought him in Panaji," Javadekar said.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Goa visit had acknowledged that Union Government has designed several policies inspired from the Parrikar-led government in Goa.

"This Parrikar model of governance will be real model of good governance in the days to come, which many states will emulate," he said.

Parrikar had resigned as a Union minister last month to take up the post of Goa Chief Minister after his party cobbled alliance with the like-minded parties.

Meanwhile, addressing a gathering after a lucky draw of the "Grahak Yojana" and "Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana", organised by South Goa Collectorate, Javadekar said digital payments will help rid tax evasion which happens at times through cash transactions.

"Cash is used relatively less around the world compared to India where 80 per cent transactions are done in cash. In India, cash component is 12 per cent of GDP while it is just 4 per cent the world over," Javadekar said.

He said the Centre's initiative to promoting digital payments aims to avoid the tax evasion.