In a significant step towards making school education more inclusive, the Jharkhand Cabinet on Tuesday approved a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) exempting students suffering from sickle cell disease, thalassaemia, haemophilia, Type-1 diabetes, specified non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and children with disabilities (Divyang students) from the mandatory 75% attendance requirement for appearing in board examinations.
The decision acknowledges that students living with chronic illnesses often miss classes due to prolonged treatment, repeated hospitalisation, blood transfusions, medical emergencies and regular clinical follow-ups, circumstances beyond their control. Until now, many such students faced the risk of losing an academic year despite being academically capable because they failed to meet the attendance threshold prescribed by schools and examination boards.