New Delhi, 14 March 2022 – The Delhi Directorate of Education (DoE) has announced that all Class 9 and Class 11 students of the state will be promoted as per the promotion policy of the academic year 2020-21. As per the policy, there is a fixed set of criteria to allow the promotion of students. These include the student’s marks in term-1, term-2, internal assessment, and practical examination. The policy also states that a maximum of 15 grace marks will be given to students to help them reach the minimum required passing marks of 33 out of 100.
This has led to raised concerns by private schools of the national capital. Schools are concerned that giving 15 grace marks will reduce the minimum required passing marks to 18 out of 100, which is too less and would allow undeserving students to be passed to higher classes.
Promotion Policy Extended Because of COVID-19
The decision to extend the 2020-21 promotion policy to the current academic year for Class 9 and 11 students was taken by the DoE, keeping in mind the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The official order confirming the extension of the promotion policy reads, “In view of the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the revised promotion policy 2020-21 is extended for the academic session 2021-22 also.”
The 2020-21 Promotional Policy for Class 9 and 11 Students
According to the promotion policy of 2020-21, the result of Class 9 and Class 11 students will be calculated based on:
- Marks obtained in Term-1 (mid-term) exams
- Marks obtained in Term-2 (final) exams
- Marks obtained in internal assessments and projects
- Marks obtained in practical exams
The promotion policy also specifies that a candidate needs to secure 33 marks out of 100 to be promoted to the next class. In this formula, schools have been allowed to award a maximum of 15 grace marks to aid students in reaching the mark of 33% in order to be promoted to the next grade.
Schools Raise Concerns
Private schools in Delhi are objecting to the provision of 15 grace marks per subject. These schools state that allowing 15 grace marks will reduce the required passing marks to 18 out of 100, and lower the standard of education in the capital.
Sudha Acharya, Chairperson of the National Progressive School Conference (NPSC) stated in this regard, “The purpose of education is not to simply promote children to the next class. If a child is securing only 18 marks after continuous evaluation throughout the year, it means there is a cause of concern. If the students are not grade competent, they should not be promoted to the next class.”
