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Behind RTE shield, students missing schools left, right & centre

Under the Act, no school can fail a student between Std I and Std VIII on account of poor attendance or performance. Behind the shield of a no-detention policy, principals say, about 25 per cent to 35 per cent of students remain absent through the academic year or give the exams a miss.

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Studies can wait, but not birthday parties, marriages, holidays and sports. This is the trend that city schools are seeing ever since the implementation of the Right to Education Act in 2010.

Under the Act, no school can fail a student between Std I and Std VIII on account of poor attendance or performance. Behind the shield of a no-detention policy, principals say, about 25 per cent to 35 per cent of students remain absent through the academic year or give the exams a miss.

Schools say since they have to abide by the law, they have to put up with indiscipline among the students. What worries them the most is that children get influenced by their classmates.

Prashant Redij, spokesperson of Maharashtra Principal Association said, "It is true that most of the schools have been observing nearly 35% absenteeism. Earlier, there used to be fear among parents as well as children with regard to bunking school. But that is not the case now.

Redij said kids stay away from school for weddings, village festivals, or if any anyone takes ill in the family. "The parents don't even bother to inform the schools if their child is not coming. The reason behind this practice is the no-detention policy under RTE."

According to RTE, if a student has performed badly in the final exam, s/he should be given remedial coaching before the next academic session.

The principal of a Mahim-based school, who didn't wish to be named, said, "I have observed that some children don't attend classes for the entire year. Instead, they directly appear for the examinations which is very weird. This is all because they know that they will be promoted to the next class."

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