23% more Class 3 students proficient in math, language proficiency up by 18%: Parakh Rashtriya Sarvekshan

Class 3 students recorded an 18% jump in proficiency in language while 23% more students are proficient in mathematics as compared to the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021, reveals the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan Result 2024.

As per the Item Response Theory (IRT) scores, 57% of the grade 3 students demonstrated proficiency or above in language, while 65% achieved similar levels in mathematics in PRS 2024, marking a substantial improvement from NAS 2021, where only 39% were proficient in language and 42% in mathematics.

Compared to NAS 2017, where proficiency levels were 47% in language and 53% in mathematics, the increase observed in PARAKH result highlights greater importance and indicates a complete recouping of Covid-induced learning losses at the foundational stage as far as proficiency is concerned.

At the foundational level, girls performed slightly higher than boys in language. Female students got an average score of 65% while male secured a score of 63%. Both girls and boys achieved the same score of 60% in mathematics. Rural students slightly outperform their peers in both the subjects. State government schools topped the Grade 3 outcomes, indicating the early success of the NIPUN Bharat Mission.

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At the preparatory and middle levels, the central government schools emerged as top performers, while urban-rural and gender-based gaps pointed to areas for focused interventions. The survey highlights the need to improve competencies in mathematics and science, particularly in higher classes.

PRS 2024: Punjab tops among states

While the national average in 2024 lags slightly behind 2017 levels, many states and UTs surpassed their own performances with an all-time high, demonstrating strong recovery and successful learning interventions in states like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh etc.

Notably, due to alignment with the NEP 2020 stages, only grade 3 scores can be compared across the three cycles of NAS (now PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan) —2017, 2021, and 2024—as it is the common grade assessed in all three cycles.

Over 2.7 lakh teachers and school heads contributed via questionnaires, shedding light on school environments, availability of digital tools, and student well-being. Emotional stress among adolescents and limited access for Children with Special Needs (CWSN) raise concerns and point to systemic issues that require immediate attention.

Also read ASER Report: Government schools outshine private in post-Covid learning recovery, but teen enrollment drops

21.15 lakh students, 74,229 schools, and 781 districts across all 36 states and UTs participated in the survey for Grades 3, 6, and 9. PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 held by the Performance, Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development replaced the NAS.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) introduced NAS as a national-level assessment study to examine the learning achievement of students of Classes 3, 5, 8, and 10 studying in government and private schools across the country.