Now private school students of Class 5 and 8 can also fail under new government rule

Shimla (The Uttam Hindu): The Himachal Pradesh government has taken a major decision by implementing the system of declaring students of Class 5 and Class 8 as “failed” in all private schools as well. Now, students of private schools will also be considered unsuccessful if they score below the required marks. This move became possible after the state implemented the amendments made by the Central Government in December 2024 to the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

One more chance to pass

Under the new rule, students who fail in the exam will be given an additional opportunity to secure the required marks. If the student still fails to obtain the minimum marks in the second attempt, they will be declared “failed” and will not be promoted to the next class.

Timeline for winter and summer schools

The Directorate of School Education has issued instructions to all district officials.

– In winter-closing schools, this rule will be implemented from the December 2025 exams.

– In summer-closing schools, the provision will come into effect from the May 2026 exams.

System already in place for government schools

Government schools in the state had already implemented this system last year. Now, private schools will also follow the same structure.

Two mandatory conditions to pass

According to the amended Act, students must meet the following two criteria to be declared passed:

Score at least 33% marks overall.

Score a minimum of 33% marks separately in each subject in SA-1 and SA-2.

School Education Director Ashish Kohli has sent detailed guidelines to all districts for the implementation of the new system.