No detention policy is ruining the education of young children in Punjab
Sometime earlier, the congress government in Punjab conducted the baseline test for the students of class IX and X under the Congress government’s ‘Padho Punjab, Padhao Punjabʼ learning enhancement program. The results of the test have clearly revealed poor learning levels of the students in English, mathematics, science and social science. The test was conducted on March and the results were declared recently. The state is now blaming the government’s ‘no detention policy’ under the Right to Education Act (RTE) under which no students can be detained or failed till class VIII. More than 1 lakh students of class X and 2 lakh students of class IX were tested in the test. In mathematics, students were tested in mensuration, geometry, algebra and number system. Class IX students were given class VII and class VIII level questions and Class X students were given class VIII and IX questions. According to the results, 85 percent students are not aware of the ‘Curved Surface Area’ concept and 80 percent students cannot solve the Pythagoras theorem, parallel lines and cube edge. 70 percent could not solve rational numbers, 78 per cent could not solve number line and multiplication of algebra, 65 per cent could not solve fractions and so on. Only 37.30 percent students of class IX performed on satisfactory level in Maths. Nirmal Kaur, coordinator for maths, said, “Both Class IX and X students have shown poor results in baseline test even as they were tested in lower-level syllabus. The results have highlighted poor basics, which is due to many reasons, including no-detention policy till Class VIII. There is also maths-phobia among students, which we are working on.” In English, students were tested in basic writing, speaking, listening and reading and questions were same for both class IX and X. In writing, students were given a topic ‘My favorite Game’ on which they have to write five sentences but 72 per cent students of Class IX and X wither did not attempt the question or just wrote one or two sentences. 20 percent students wrote three-four sentences and only seven percent could wrote all the five sentences. Krishan Kumar, Punjab secretary school education said no-detention policy till Class VIII is the culprit. “We were doing very good till we had board exams for Classes V and VIII. Even teachers hesitated to get posting in senior secondary schools knowing they have to teach basics to Class IX and X students. Baseline tests under Padho Punjab, Padhao Punjab aims to fix accountability by identifying weak areas of students,” he said.
source https://www.brainbuxa.com/education-news/no-detention-policy-is-ruining-the-education-of-young-children-in-punjab-8850
