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Context:
The PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, a landmark assessment conducted by the Government of India, has delivered a blunt message: enrolment may be high, but learning outcomes remain dismal. Conducted across 21 lakh students in Classes 3, 6, and 9 in over 74,000 schools and 781 districts, the survey underlines deep foundational learning deficits in the Indian school system.
Key Findings:
- Literacy Gaps:
- 43% of Class 6 students are unable to grasp the main idea of a text.
- Numeracy Crisis:
- 63% of Class 9 students struggle with basic mathematics.
- The findings reinforce trends observed in earlier reports like Pratham’s ASER, showing foundational learning gaps persist across rural and urban India.
Underlying Causes
- Socioeconomic Disparities: Students from households with educated parents, access to electricity, and digital tools show better performance.
- Systemic Gaps:
- Poor school infrastructure,
- Undertrained teachers,
- Overemphasis on rote learning,
- Limited parental engagement,
- Weak assessment systems.
Policy Implications and Reform Priorities
The NEP 2020 rightly emphasizes foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) as a national priority. However, classroom-level reforms alone are insufficient without a supportive ecosystem.
Recommendations:
- Move beyond rote learning:
- Shift curriculum and assessment models toward critical thinking and conceptual clarity.
- Early identification & support:
- Use regular assessments to detect struggling students early and provide remedial learning.
- Teacher training overhaul:
- Expand access to continuous professional development, with a focus on pedagogy, FLN, and digital integration.
- School-family partnerships:
- Foster community engagement and parental involvement to reinforce learning at home.
- Leadership development:
- As per UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report 2024-25, standardise principal training, promote gender-inclusive hiring, and ensure clearly defined school leadership roles.