Overview

• Amendments to the Odisha Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010 came into force upon Gazette publication on July 10, ending automatic promotion for Classes 5 and 8.
• Schools began administering end-of-year examinations for Class 5 and 8 under the new fail system for the current academic year.
• Students who do not meet promotion criteria receive targeted remedial instruction and must reappear for exams within two months of result declaration.
• Failure to satisfy promotion requirements after the retest will result in repetition of the same class, although no student can be expelled before completing elementary education.
• The measures align with the December 2024 amendment to the central RTE Act and reflect Odisha’s shift toward accountability and foundational learning in elementary schools.