Chauphe News : Independent English Schools Association (IESA), a Pune-based association of budget schools of state board with pan-Maharashtra presence, has unanimously decided to stop automatic promotion of all students who fell into the “absent” category. The decision to this effect was
The association’s decision has, however, started getting flak from allround when one of the members of parents’ association, reacting to this, said he is not convinced with the idea of not promoting students to the next class. “I think this is nothing but an alibi of collecting full pending fee from parents,” Yogesh Pathare, national coordinator of Rashtriya Shikshak Palak Sanghatan, said.
Even the current law prohibits schools to hold back students in the same class till Std VIII. If the student fails in the exam then a reexam has to be taken after remedial classes but they can’t be held back at any cost.
IESA president Rajendra Dayma, a trustee of school in Jalna district, said, “We have noticed that between 10-15% students have not attended classes at all. Even though online classes were going on, such students neither attended the classes nor did their parents respond to any communication by schools. Promoting such students to a higher class will be detrimental for them.”
Dayma further said, “The students who do not have any foundational base of previous class, how can they be promoted to the next class? There’s an entire year’s academic gap. The child won’t be able to cope with the new concepts being taught in the next class.”
He also shared an experience of a member school of last week, which prompted them to think about this issue. “A parent had stopped communication with the school since August 2020. His child did not attend even a single class, even though online facility was available. But last week the parent came and said that the child had been home-schooled and is ready to appear for final examination of school,” Dayma said while quoting the parent.
The school refused to allow the child to appear for the final examinations. “These are the reasons the association decided to take the tough stance. Parents must understand that trying to push their kids without any strong base is going to be harmful for them in future,” Dayma said.
He also clarified majority of these parents happen to be those who have not paid fees. Dayma said, “Now, many of them are coming back saying take 25-40% of the fee but allow their kids to sit for final examinations. But it’s not about the fee issue at all, it’s unethical for us to allow any student to appear for a final exam without them having attended any classes.”