Why in the News?

The 2025 PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (RS) survey has revealed significant learning deficits among students in Grades 3, 6, and 9 across India, prompting urgent calls for reforms in foundational education and subject-wise learning outcomes.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About PARAKH RS (Introduction, Components, Key Findings, Performance Trend, Implications)

Introduction

• The recently released findings of the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (PARAKH RS) have revealed critical insights into student learning outcomes across India’s school system.
• Conducted across 781 districts and involving over 21 lakh students in Grades 3, 6, and 9, the national survey sheds light on learning levels in core subjects like language, mathematics, science, and social science.
• The survey results indicate significant deficits in basic competencies, particularly in mathematics and science, among students in higher grades.
• States like Punjab, Kerala, and Himachal Pradesh emerged as top performers, while several districts in Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and Meghalaya lagged behind.

About PARAKH RS

• PARAKH RS, formerly known as the National Achievement Survey (NAS), is administered by the Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH), an autonomous institution under the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
• The 2025 edition of PARAKH RS covered:

• 21,15,022 students
• 74,229 schools
• 781 districts
• Subjects tested included:
• Grades 3, 6, and 9: Language and Mathematics
• Grades 3 and 6: Environmental Studies
• Grade 9: Science and Social Science

• In addition, 2.7 lakh teachers and school leaders participated through questionnaires to provide contextual data.

Key Findings: Grade-wise Performance

• Grade 3 Highlights

• Language:
• 67% of students could effectively use and guess new words.
• 60% could comprehend short stories independently.
• 61% could read news, instructions, and basic materials.
• Mathematics:
• 68% could classify objects based on multiple properties.
• 55% could arrange numbers up to 99 in order.
• Only 54% understood multiplication as repeated addition.
• Half of the students struggled with basic geometry and simple financial transactions.

• Grade 6 Highlights

• Mathematics:
• Only 54% could use the place value structure accurately.
• Just 29% could understand and represent common fractions.
• Only 38% could solve real-life puzzles involving operations on whole numbers.
• Environmental Studies:
• 44% could identify elements in their immediate surroundings.
• Just 38% asked questions and made predictions about observable patterns in nature.
• 56% could explain the functioning of local institutions like markets, schools, and panchayats.

• Grade 9 Highlights

• Social Science:
• 45% understood constitutional principles and national movement ideals.
• Only 54% could identify key points in news reports or editorials.
• Mathematics:
• 31% understood number sets like integers and fractions.
• Only 28% could apply percentage calculations effectively.
• Science:
• 37% could explain natural phenomena like winds or pressure differences.
• One-third could demonstrate understanding of simple circuits and electricity.
• 34% could distinguish between characteristics of living and non-living things.

State-wise Performance Trends

• Top Performers:
  • Grade 3: Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala
  • Grade 6: Kerala, Punjab, Dadra Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu
  • Grade 9: Punjab, Kerala, Chandigarh
• Low Performing Districts:
  • Grade 3: Sahebganj (Jharkhand), Reasi and Rajouri (J&K)
  • Grade 6 & 9: Multiple districts in Meghalaya, including North and South Garo Hills
• Interestingly, Kendriya Vidyalayas recorded low performance in Grade 3 Mathematics but were the best performing in Grade 9 Language, indicating intra-institutional disparities.

Policy Implications and Concerns

• The PARAKH RS results underline a serious concern: learning deficits are widening as students progress to higher grades, especially in conceptual subjects like mathematics and science.
• These findings suggest the urgent need to:

• Strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy in primary education.
• Improve pedagogy and teacher training, particularly in underperforming regions.
• Integrate formative assessment tools for early detection of learning gaps.
• Reorient school curricula to foster critical thinking and contextual understanding.