Assam to take annual exams for class 5 and 8 students, bring back pass-fail system

Guwahati: Assam will now conduct examinations for classes 5 and 8 of all schools in the state and the students who fail will be detained in the same class, officials said on Friday.

The decision to bring back the pass-fail system was taken in a state cabinet meeting held this morning in Guwahati.

The state’s Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said: "In the Right to Education Act, 2009, there were provisions of examinations from Class 1 onwards, but the unsuccessful students could not be detained in the same class. In 2019, the Assam government amended the act, and accordingly the state cabinet today decided to take yearly examinations for students of classes 5 and 8. The unsuccessful students will be detained in the same class."

The failed candidates will be given a second chance to appear for a special examination which will be held after a gap of two months once the yearly exam results are out. The teachers will take remedial classes for them.

"However, the candidates who will fail in that examination too will have to study in the same class for another year," Pegu added.

The Minister further said that it was widely believed that the absence of a pass-fail structure in the lower and primary sections has adversely affected the education system in the state. Hence, the government has decided to bring it back to the school level.