West Bengal Govt To Introduce Class 5 In Additional 2,335 Primary Schools

To fulfill its duties under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, the West Bengal government has announced to introduction of class 5 in 2,335 more primary schools from the next academic year. Class 5 has already been introduced in nearly 18,000 primary schools.

As per the TOI reporting, another 2,335 primary schools have been asked to take necessary actions to implement the order with immediate effect so that class 5 can be introduced from January 2025.

However, in around 29,000 state-run primary schools class 5 is yet to be introduced.

Earlier, primary schools had classes 1 to 4 while class 5 was part of secondary education. In 2019, the process of inclusion of Class 5 in all primary schools of West Bengal was started. The decision was taken to meet the teacher’s demand in class 5 and restore a proper teacher-student balance at the elementary level.

Read also: Maharashtra Board Class 12 Registration Last Date Extends

Also in line with the federal spirit and avoiding the centralization in education, the West Bengal government introduced State Education Policy, 2023 that recommended a three-language formula for classes 5 to 8, with special emphasis on Bengali.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, guarantees free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6 and 14. The RTE Act came into effect on April 1, 2010. The act also makes provision that at least 25% of the children admitted to class 1 must be from the disadvantaged group and weaker sections.