TV
The Odisha government has notified an amendment to the Odisha Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Rules, 2010, introducing regular examination and re-examination in Classes 5 and 8 and provisions for holding students back in case of repeated failure.
Year-End Exams and Re-Tests for Key Classes
As per the notification issued by the School & Mass Education Department, the amended rules—called the Odisha Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Rules, 2025—have come into force with immediate effect following their publication in the Odisha Gazette.
Under the new rules, students in Class 5 and Class 8 will now appear for mandatory year-end examinations. If a student fails in these exams, they will receive additional instructional support and be given a chance for re-examination within two months of the result declaration.
No Expulsion Until Completion of Elementary Education
However, students failing in the re-examination, too, will be held back in their respective classes. The government clarified that no student shall be expelled from any school until they complete elementary education.
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“If a child fails in the examination referred to in sub-rule (1), he shall be given additional instruction and granted opportunity for re-examination within a period of two months from the date of declaration of the result. If the child appearing in the re-examination referred to in sub-rule (2), fails to fulfil the promotion criteria again, he shall be held back in fifth class or eighth class, as the case may be,” the notification read.
This amendment aligns Odisha’s RTE framework with the national provisions, enabling states to conduct assessments for key transition years in schooling.
