Context: PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 reveals significant deficits in student learning in higher grades, particularly in Mathematics and Science.
Relevance of the topic : Prelims : Key Findings of PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024.
About PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan
- PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) Rashtriya Sarvekshan is an assessment conducted by the Ministry of Education.
- Formerly known as the National Achievement Survey.
- Nodal Body: NCERT
- Purpose: To provide system-level insights into student learning outcomes, support evidence-based policy-making, and assess alignment with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 goals.
- This large-scale national survey comprehensively evaluates the progress of learners across the Foundational, Preparatory, and Middle Stages.
PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024:
- PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan was conducted in December 2024. It assessed the performance of 21,15,022 children in Grades 3, 6 and 9 from over 74,000 schools (both private and government) in 781 districts of the country.
- The assessment included the following subjects: language and mathematics (for Grades 3, 6, and 9), world around us (for Grades 3 and 6), and science and social science (for Grade 9).
Key Findings:
- Best performing States and UTs in school education: Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu and Chandigarh.
Learning Outcomes by Grade:
- Grade 3:
- 67% of students can use and understand enough words for daily conversations.
- Only 55% of students can correctly arrange numbers up to 99 in ascending/descending order.
- In Grade 6:
- Only 38% of students can solve basic math problems in daily life.
- Only 38% of students ask questions or make predictions based on nature (seasons, moon phases, trees, etc.)
- In Grade 9:
- Only 31% of students understand complex number systems like integers, fractions, real numbers, and their properties.
Institution-wise Performance
- Kendriya Vidyalayas, run by the Union government, recorded the lowest performance in Mathematics in Grade 3.
- In Grade 6, government-aided and State government schools showed weak performance in Mathematics.
- For Grade 9, students from Kendriya Vidyalayas performed the best across all subjects, particularly in language.
These learning gaps highlight the need for focused interventions to strengthen students' skills, refine instructional strategies, and provide additional learning support. Addressing these areas effectively will help improve overall student learning outcomes in the nation.
Also Read: Bridging gaps in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy