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Instead of giving weightage to annual exams, the revised promotion policy states that a student securing 33% marks in five subjects will be passed.
The Delhi Directorate of Education, citing “exceptional circumstances” arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic, on Thursday announced that it was extending the one-time revised promotion policy announced last year for students of Class 9 and 11 in public and private schools this year as well.
In May last year, the education department had announced a revised policy under which students of these classes, who appeared for their exams, were allotted grace marks to ensure they scored minimum marks required to pass —33%.
Instead of giving weightage to annual exams, the revised promotion policy states that a student securing 33% marks in five subjects will be passed. The order stated that results will be calculated on the basis of annual exam, mid-term, and internal assessment or practicals. Previous promotion policies called for securing 25% in the 60-mark annual exams in the five main subjects. The department has also allowed schools to grant a maximum of 15 marks as “grace” to reach the 33% mark “in one or any number of subjects only for promotion to next higher class.”
“The exceptional circumstances of Covid pandemic led to the closure of schools for a long period, without face-to-face classroom teaching-learning activities, Directorate of Education has decided to extend the Revised Promotion Policy 2019-20 as a onetime measure,” director of education Udit Prakash Rai stated in Wednesday’s order. Those failing to clear the exams can appear for compartment exam at a later date.
The department has asked all government, government-aided, and recognised unaided (private) schools to comply with these guidelines. Private schools wishing to change the criteria — than the ones mentioned in the guidelines — can approach director (education) for approval.
Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu Public School, welcomed the revised promotion policy. “The promotion criteria have been simplified and will benefit students. We followed the guidelines last year and will do so this year,” she said.
The revised promotion policy had effectively increased the Class 9 pass percentage (64.5%) to the highest in five years. The Class 11 pass percentage (96.2%) had also jumped by nearly 11 percentage points in the last academic session — meaning that an increased number of students would be appearing for the class 10 and 12 board exams slated to take place in May this year.
Principals across the government schools believe that the implementation of the revised promotion policy will have an impact on the board exams of 2021-22 as well.
Awadhesh Kumar Jha, principal of Sarvodaya co-ed Vidyalaya in Rohini Sector 8, said, “While there is a need to help students who may have struggled due to the online and semi-online teaching modes, we have noticed that students who were promoted with grace marks are the ones not coming to our school for extra classes we are currently conducting. The no-detention policy means that all have to be promoted till Class 9 and there is no filtering.”
Mary Jyotsna Minj, head of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, New Kondli, said, “Since education is continuing in blended mode, we will feel the effects of this on board students in next couple of years. It will be challenging for schools with more students as we have to arrange for staggered classes.”
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