TS decides against detention system

Parties oppose CABE reversion bid

Hyderabad: The Telangana government is likely to oppose the recommendation of the Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE) in regard to the proposal of introducing detention system in school education.

This was decided during a meeting of all political parties chaired by Telangana Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Kadiyam Srihari at the Directorate of School Education here on Saturday.

Leaders of all political parties said the detention system would increase the school dropout rate.

Hence it shouldn’t be implemented in the state and they suggested that the government should upgrade the infrastructure and academic standards in the schools.

While the BJP wanted to continue the existing no-detention system, it wanted to have a check on the academic standards of the students at some stage. “The present system should be continued but the government should conduct a board exams at class VII or VIII in order to have a check on the academic standards of the students and teachers,” BJP MLC N Ramachandra Rao said.

Former minister and Congress leader J Geeta Reddy questioned as to why there was a proposal to change the Right to Education Act.She said lacunae in the implementation of the RTE should be rectified and but not tweak the Act itself. She said the continuous and comprehensive evaluating system should be effective to improve the academic standards in the schools.

Ex-MLA and CPI General Secretary P Venkat Reddy said the government should create interest among the students to join in the government schools and at the same time it should also improve the academic standards and infrastructure in the schools.

Ex-MLC Ch Sitaramulu said the government should continue with the no-detention system and any change in the system would affect the students. “Government schools lack basic facilities. Why the government had failed to provide basic facilities? To have quality education, the government should provide basic facilities,” he said.

“The unanimous decision of the all-party meeting voicing against the detention system would be conveyed to the Centre,” Kadiyam Srihari said.