The central government has decided to abolish the all-pass policy for students in classes 5 and 8, with the Union Ministry of Education issuing a directive in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP). According to the revised guidelines, students who fail to achieve the minimum required marks in annual exams will have an opportunity to retake the exam within two months. If they fail the retest, they will be required to repeat the academic year. However, no student can be expelled from school until completing their primary education.
While 16 states and 2 union territories have already implemented this policy following the 2019 amendments to the Right to Education Act, Kerala remains reluctant to adopt it. The state has decided to continue its all-pass policy, focusing on improving the quality of education rather than retaining students.
Kerala plans to strengthen academic support for students falling behind, especially those scoring less than 30% in exams. Special intervention programs will be introduced to help these students meet the required standards. Dr. Jayaprakash R.K., Director of SCERT, emphasized that failing students is not a viable solution and reiterated Kerala’s commitment to enhancing learning outcomes through teacher-led interventions and tailored support programs. This stance reflects Kerala’s emphasis on holistic and inclusive education over punitive measures.
