Class-10 students doing abysmally in math, worse than Class-3 students
The latest National Achievement Survey (NAS) assessed 15L students across all states and union territories to reveal alarming findings: Class-10 students were doing far worse than even Class-3 students, especially in Mathematics, where average scores were less than 40%. They fared badly in other subjects too, but average scores were higher at 50-55%. This signals the need for a major overhaul of the math syllabus, experts say.
How students performed in math in different states
In Mathematics, the best performer with respect to learning outcomes in math was Andhra Pradesh, but its score, the highest among states, was a low 40.94%. Assam (39.52%), Rajasthan (38.6%), Odisha (38.45%) and Karnataka (38.33%) followed. The worst performer was Sikkim, with an average score of 27%. Dadra and Nagar Haveli (28.1%), Meghalaya (28.3%), J&K (28.36%) and Lakshadweep (29.21%) fared slightly better.
What are learning outcomes?
The HRD Ministry describes learning outcomes as "assessment standards indicating the expected levels of learning that children should achieve for that class." These help trainers assess the level of achievement of students both individually and collectively and thus frame teaching styles suitably.
Performance in math also declined as class progressed
The NAS had other findings: for 64% Class-3 students answering a math question correctly, the score for Class-10 students fell below 40% for all boards barring Andhra. The figure declined as class increased, dropping to 54% in Class-5 and 42% in Class-8. This was attributed to the former 'no-detention' policy, due to which students were uninterested in doing well, and teachers, in achieving results.
Girls vs boys, rural vs urban, government school vs private
HT has reported other interesting facts about the NAS' findings concerning learning outcomes in math. For example, girls performed better than boys in Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu. In Rajasthan, Karnataka, Daman and Diu and Chhatisgarh, rural students fared better than their urban counterparts. Government schools did better than private ones in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Bihar.
This was the largest study of this kind by NCERT
The latest NAS was the largest ever study of Class-10 student achievements by the NCERT, with a total of 15L students from 44,514 schools across 610 districts participating.
