Punjab Reintroduces Board Exams For Class V, VIII Students From 2020; To Scrap No Detention Policy 

The state education department has asked the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) to reintroduce board exams for class V and VIII, Times of India reports. The move comes after the parliament had scrapped off the ‘No-detention policy’ in January.

The department believes the move will help to tackle the issue of worsening quality of education at the senior secondary level. The move is aimed at strengthening the primary education system in Punjab.

“Due to changes in the education policy, PSEB will assess the students in class V and VIII instead of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Punjab,” PSEB’s controller of exams Sukhwinder Kaur Saroya said.

The removal of board exams was not successful as it declined the quality of education with most students passing conveniently despite not scoring the passing marks, Saroya said while adding that the "real struggle would begin in the senior secondary classes".

The board exams for class V and VIII, which were removed a few years back, will be introduced from the academic year of 2020. Saroya, however, has discarded the possibility of a change in the exam pattern.