India's no detention policy and its educational implications

India’s No Detention Policy (NDP), introduced under the Right to Education Act (2009), has emerged as a contentious reform in the country’s education system. While designed to promote inclusivity and reduce dropout rates by eliminating grade retention until class 8th, its implementation has exposed systemic challenges. Disparities in administrative execution across states, coupled with inadequate infrastructure and teacher training, have hindered the transition from traditional exams to comprehensive evaluation systems. Recent studies reveal that only 45% of schools have adopted structured assessment frameworks, exacerbating gaps between policy expectations and ground realities. Geographical and socioeconomic factors further compound these inconsistencies, leading to incoherent learning outcomes. This paper underscores the urgency of addressing these systemic flaws through standardised guidelines, teacher capacity-building, and equitable resource allocation to align the NDP’s objectives with India’s educational goals.