All students of Classes V and VIII in state-aided schools will be promoted to the next class, education minister Partha Chatterjee said on Thursday.

The state government had reintroduced the pass-fail system for these classes from the session that started in January this year. Students who fail to clear the annual exams in December will be detained, the government had earlier announced.

The no-detention system for Class I-VIII, mandated by the Centre’s right to education act, was introduced in 2009 to prevent underprivileged students aged below 14 from quitting studies for fear of failure.

Minister Chatterjee on Thursday said every student would be promoted to the next class irrespective of their performance in the annual exams to be held in December. “The pass-fail system for Classes V and VIII will not be implemented this year because of the present situation. Every student will go to the next class.”

The government had planned to introduce from this year supplementary exams for the students of Classes I to IV, VI and VII who will perform poorly in the annual exams. That, too, will be kept on hold, the minister told Metro.

The government had earlier said that schools could arrange special exams for low scorers of these classes after providing them with additional coaching after the annual exams.

“There will be no such tests this time. Every student will move to the next class after the annual exams,” Chatterjee said.

The Central Board of Second Education (CBSE) under the HRD ministry has announced that students of Classes I-VIII in its schools, including in Kendriya Viyalayas, will be promoted to the next class this year.

Minister Chatterjee on Thursday announced that the government was working on a scheme to start online classes for students of Classes IX to XII in state-aided Madhymik and Higher Secondary schools.

“The government is examining if classes can be held with the help of Net through emails and even with the help of Doordarshan,” Chatterjee said. “Preliminary discussions have been held. A final plan will be prepared once we get chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s approval,” he said.