SRINAGAR: The Ministry of Education has released findings from the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, revealing the best performing States and Union Territories in the nationwide assessment, as well as highlighting key gaps in student learning, particularly in mathematics at the Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs).
Responding to a starred question in the Lok Sabha by Prof Sougata Ray, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the survey, formerly known as the National Achievement Survey, assessed the baseline performance of students under the National Education Policy 2020 at the end of the Foundational, Preparatory, and Middle stages of schooling — Grades 3, 6, and 9 respectively. The exercise, conducted by the National Assessment Centre, PARAKH, NCERT, covered over 21.15 lakh students, 2.70 lakh teachers and school leaders, and more than 74,000 schools across 781 districts in all States and Union Territories.
The list of best performing States and districts, based on average percentage of correct answers, is available in the national report hosted on the official PARAKH dashboard. The survey used stage-wise learning competencies defined in the National Curriculum Frameworks, with performance analysed through globally accepted assessment models to generate State and district-wise scores.
On the performance of Kendriya Vidyalayas, Pradhan said Grade 3 students in KVs scored 57 per cent in mathematics compared to the national average of 60 per cent. At the Preparatory Stage (Grade 6), KV students scored 55 per cent, ahead of the national average of 46 per cent, while at the Middle Stage (Grade 9) they scored 43 per cent against the national average of 37 per cent.
The survey also found that only 31 per cent of Grade 9 students nationally could explore and understand sets of numbers and their properties — a key competency outlined in the National Curriculum Framework for School Education. Competency-wise results showed other gaps, with only 28 per cent able to apply the concept of percentage to solve problems, and 31 per cent able to use fractions in daily-life situations.
To address learning gaps, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has initiated measures such as introducing Balvatika I, II, and III for early childhood education in select schools, implementing the Vidya Pravesh school readiness module for Grade 1, deploying Jaadui Pitara and e-Jaadu Pitara learning kits, and adopting experiential, art-integrated, and toy-based learning. Technology-enabled teaching through smart boards, digital resources, and PM e-Vidya channels is being expanded. KVS has also launched teacher capacity-building programmes in collaboration with institutions including NCERT, CBSE, IITs, IISERs, the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, and the National Institute of Science Education and Research.
Pradhan said these multi-layered interventions aim to strengthen foundational learning and improve student outcomes across all stages of schooling.
