Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala remains at odds with the Central directive advocating the abolition of the ‘all pass’ policy in schools, diverging from the trend followed by most states across the nation. While the proposal suggests promoting students to higher classes solely based on their performance in fifth and eighth-grade examinations, Kerala has yet to endorse this measure.
The Central directive stipulates that students must attain a minimum of 25% marks in mid-term exams and 33% marks in annual exams to progress to the next grade. Those falling short are granted a chance through special examinations. However, Kerala’s stance favors enhancing children’s knowledge through continuous and comprehensive evaluation methods. Emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive progress card, the Kerala education department focuses on step-by-step evaluations to monitor each child’s academic journey. The government argues that this approach will ultimately elevate the quality of education across the state.
Notably, Kerala’s Director of General Education, Shanavas S, has openly opposed the prevalent practice of universal promotion and indiscriminate awarding of A+ grades without proper criteria. . Education expert Prof. Achuthsankar S. Nair suggests that while the ‘all pass’ approach may mitigate dropout rates, a separate assessment is necessary to gauge students’ actual learning levels.
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