NEW DELHI: The HRD ministry's dilemma on the 'no-detention policy' in the Right to Education (RTE) Act may get further complicated with the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) meeting on October 25 set to discuss the recommendations of Rajasthan education minister Vasudev Devnani committee.
The panel has said that a child should be given another chance, preferably a retest, before detention from Class V onwards.
Though the committee is in favour of detention from Class V, the caveat of retest, sources said, will complicate the issue and come in the way of any decision by the government.
Within the committee, there is an overwhelming view that 'no-detention' till Class VIII in the RTE Act should be done away with.
While ministers of Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh favoured excising 'no-detention', Maharashtra wanted to retain it.
In the final analysis, sources said, the HRD ministry's task has become tough. "Amendment in the RTE Act will not be easy. To deal with the lack of majority in the Rajya Sabha, political consensus will be needed. Also, the government will have to be careful about litigation. The Supreme Court has twice given detailed judgments in favour of RTE," a source said.
CABE will also discuss the proposal to make preschooling and secondary education part of RTE Act.