This step by the different state boards in keeping with the provisions of the Right To Education Act would ensure that no child shall be held back, expelled or required to pass a board examination until completion of elementary education, said officials in the HRD Ministry.
States which have abolished the practice include Delhi, Gujarat, Orissa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education came into effect from April 1, 2010.
Some of the Sarva Sikshya Abhiyan norms were also revised to correspond with the provisions of the RTE ACT.
The government has financially committed Rs .2.31 lakh crore over a five-year period from 2010-11 to 2014-15 for the smooth implementation of RTE.
Elementary education means eight years of schooling from the age of six.
Published 15 December 2010, 15:57 IST