Learning Loss Needs To Be Reversed
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By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-05-27 05:41:21
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The India Commentary view
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That learning has suffered immensely due to the disruption caused by the pandemic has been apparent on the ground and also through several surveys conducted by NGOs. The same has now been confirmed by the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021, the first such official survey held after 2017. The survey has confirmed that average performance of pupils has gone down and it goes down even more as they move up the class ladder.
NAS 2021 was held in November last year and it assessed the performance of students in Classes 3, 5, 8 and 10. It found that the average scores across four subjects has gone down in each class and it declines alarmingly as pupils move to a higher class. It was assessed at 59% in Class 3 and was at 49%, 41.9% and 37.8% for Classes 5, 8 and 10 respectively. Another thing which NAS 2021 found out was the learning decline was higher in rural areas that urban areas. It was also much higher in students in SC/ST/OBC segment than general students.
This shows that both students and teachers are falling behind the learning curve and as students move to higher classes with increased courses and more complex learning, they fall behind more. This is alarming as it proves that basic learning is not done properly in lower classes to prepare the students to be able to understand and learn the more complex problems in higher classes. It also shows that students from the marginalized sections of society and in rural areas are suffering more.
NAS 2021 shows that the government will have to take remedial measures as teaching outcomes are not satisfactory. Teachers have to be trained better in order for them to address the learning problems of students, especially students in higher classes. But with funds for training teachers slashed by nearly 50%, this is going to be a tough job. With the health emergency receding for now, the government should restore the funds and think seriously about school education reforms. Otherwise, we will have students who will graduate with half-baked learning.
