Bhubaneswar- In a major shift from the earlier no-detention policy, the Odisha government has decided to reintroduce the pass-fail system for students in Class 5 and Class 8. The School and Mass Education Department has issued a formal notification announcing amendments to the Odisha Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010.
The revised guidelines—now titled *Odisha Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Rules, 2025*—will come into effect once officially published in the Odisha Gazette.
Under the new rules, students in Class 5 and 8 will have to appear in annual examinations. Those who do not pass will be given a second chance to clear the re-examination within two months of the results being declared. If they fail again, they will be retained in the same class.
However, the department clarified that no student will be expelled from school before completing elementary education.
Previously, Odisha had implemented a no-detention policy in line with national norms, allowing students to progress automatically through elementary grades regardless of academic performance. The return of the pass-fail system is aimed at enhancing academic accountability and learning outcomes in key transitional grades.
