Panaji: Headmasters of schools in Goa have opposed a state government directive that no student between Class 1 and Class 8 can be held back or expelled from school.
The Goa Headmasters' Association (GHA) has asked the government to withdraw the circular which was issued in accordance with the Right To Education (RTE) Act, saying that the directive has come "at the last minute" and that proper rules and norms were not in place to implement it.
Hasty move
"The GHA believes that the implementation of the RTE Act should be done in a phased and staggered manner. It should not be done in a hasty manner. Why cannot the Goa government wait till next year for the implementation?" the GHA president, Sanjiv Sawant, said.
"Some schools have already declared their results in which several students from Class 1 and Class 8 have failed. It is too late to change things," Sawant said.
The government circular issued last week seeks to implement Section 16 of the RTE Act with retroactive effect. The section states that "no child admitted in the school shall be held back or expelled from school till the completion of elementary education".
Education Minister Atanasio Monserrate, however, said that his decision to implement the "no-fail" policy was irrevocable.
The Goa Headmasters' Association (GHA) has asked the government to withdraw the circular which was issued in accordance with the Right To Education (RTE) Act, saying that the directive has come "at the last minute" and that proper rules and norms were not in place to implement it.
Hasty move
"The GHA believes that the implementation of the RTE Act should be done in a phased and staggered manner. It should not be done in a hasty manner. Why cannot the Goa government wait till next year for the implementation?" the GHA president, Sanjiv Sawant, said.
"Some schools have already declared their results in which several students from Class 1 and Class 8 have failed. It is too late to change things," Sawant said.
The government circular issued last week seeks to implement Section 16 of the RTE Act with retroactive effect. The section states that "no child admitted in the school shall be held back or expelled from school till the completion of elementary education".
Education Minister Atanasio Monserrate, however, said that his decision to implement the "no-fail" policy was irrevocable.
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