Maharashtra: State Cracks Down on Private Schools for Misusing Examination Policy

Photo Caption: Education officials conducting inspections at a private school suspected of unfairly failing students under the RTE quota.

In a significant development, the Maharashtra government has implemented a new examination policy for students in classes V and VIII, mandating annual exams, re-examinations, and potential retention in the same class for those who fail. This policy, detailed in the Maharashtra Right to Free and Compulsory Education Rules 2023 (Amendment) Notification, was reinforced by an ordinance passed on December 7, 2023.

According to the new regulations, students who are unable to pass their annual exams will be allowed to take a re-examination within two months while receiving additional support. If they are still unable to pass, they will have to repeat the year. However, there are concerns that certain private schools, particularly English-medium ones, are taking advantage of these rules by unfairly failing students who are enrolled under the 25% reservation for the Right to Education (RTE).

Sharad Gosavi, the state’s director of primary education, has expressed serious concerns about these practices. “We have started taking strict measures against schools that misuse this policy to fail students from the RTE quota unfairly. Such actions will not be tolerated,” Gosavi stated

According to Gosavi, the state education department has ordered thorough inspections of these schools to review the cases of students who have failed. The inspections will verify whether the failures were justified based on the student’s academic performance and whether the schools complied with the stipulated evaluation procedures.

Additionally, the education department has outlined that failing to conduct proper evaluations or wrongfully issuing failure certificates to students under the RTE quota will invoke scrutiny by district and taluka-level committees. These committees are empowered to take necessary actions if they find any irregularities.

Parents have voiced frustrations, suggesting that some schools are using the new policy to sideline students who are admitted through the RTE reservation. This misuse of the policy not only affects the educational progress of these students but also undermines the spirit of the RTE Act, which aims to provide free and compulsory education to the underprivileged.

The state’s rigorous approach aims to ensure fair practice across all schools.