Opposing the provision of automatic promotions till Class VIII under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Act, 2009, a Parliamentary committee has asked the Ministry of Human Resource Development to "rethink" the policy as a student may not be motivated to work hard if promotion was guaranteed.
Expressing concern over the quality of education under the RTE regime and the learning outcome, the panel has asked the Ministry to ensure a minimum set of cognitive skills among students.
A sub-committee set up under the Central Advisory Board of Education is already examining the issue after academics and parents expressed reservations over the clause. "A child may not be mature enough to understand the implication of being required to sit for formal examination from class IX onwards and obtain the minimum benchmark," the panel said in the report it tabled in Parliament on Thursday.