'New education policy has loopholes'

RANCHI: In a seminar titled 'Present Education Policy: Student, School and Parent', organized by the Ranchi Parents Association, pros and cons of the present government education policy was discussed on Wednesday. Many parents and teachers think that the Right to Education Act which enables every child to attend school is a positive move by the government but promotion of a child every year despite his academic performance is not a proper thing to do.
"The government is coming up with new policies everyday but these are not very beneficial for the children as they come with many loopholes. According to the policy, a child between 6-14 years of age has to be promoted even if his performance is not up to the mark. We cannot assess whether a child is actually learning or not," said Ajay Rai, secretary of the Parents' Association.
Another loophole in the policy, according to the teachers, is that they cannot punish the students. Principal of St. Xavier's School Fr Ajit Xess said, "Usually teachers do not punish students but sometimes it becomes a necessity. But according to the government rule, a teacher is not supposed to punish students and there have been some cases in which the teachers had to suffer and the student got away despite being guilty."
The parents present in the seminar also discussed problems they face owing to lack of coordination between the school and the guardians. "If a school is planning to start a new project or increase fee or taking any step with regards to changes in timetable, the administration should consult the parents before applying them", said Amit Kumar, a guardian present at the seminar.
Principals, teachers, students and parents of six schools in the city, including St Xavier's School, DPS, Sacred Heart, Cambridge School, Sarla Birla School and JVM Shyamli, participated in the seminar. Regional director, DAV Group of Schools L R Shaini, was also present on the occasion.