NCERT Study Finds Tamil Nadu Students Scoring Lowest In Basic Numeracy; J&K, Assam Follows

NEW DELHI: A study conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) found Tamil Nadu with the highest number of students lacking basic numeracy skills followed by Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and Gujarat.

The report on the 'oral reading fluency with reading comprehension and numeracy 2022' test said at least 37 per cent of students of class 3 were placed in the category saying- learners have limited knowledge and skills and they can partially complete basic grade-level tasks.

42 per cent of the children studying in Tamil, on average, lack basic reading skills with a boy reading 16 words per minute correctly against 18 for girls,

On the other hand, children from states like West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar were found to either 'have sufficient knowledge and skill, or have developed superior knowledge and skill and could complete complex grade-level tasks', the report said.

The study also highlighted that in eight languages, more than a quarter of the children of class 3 assessed for oral reading frequently performed below global minimum proficiency.

The highest level of oral reading proficiency was demonstrated by children reading in Khasi, Bengali, Mizo, Punjabi, Hindi and English.

The objective of the report was to provide reliable and valid data to determine what class 3 students are capable of doing in foundational literacy and numeracy and the extent of learning outcomes being achieved, it was said.

Samples of children selected from Class 3 were assessed by a test administrator where each child responded to a set of questions administered orally in a one-on-one situation.

In numeracy, the test included number identification, number discrimination, addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, fractions, and identifying patterns with numbers and shapes.

It was seen overall, that 11 per cent of the respondents could not complete even basic grade-level tasks, while 37 per cent could partially complete basic grade-level tasks, with 42 per cent successfully completing the task assigned. Only 10 per cent had developed superior skills, it was ascertained.

The National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Bharat was launched by the Ministry of Education in July 2021 as a National Mission to enable all children finishing Class 3 to attain foundational skills by the year 2026-2027.

In March 2022, the Ministry of Education and NCERT jointly launched a large-scale 'foundational learning study' with the aim to strengthen the children's 'foundational literacy and numeracy'.

A majority of 52 per cent of the students tested emerged in the scoring range of 70 and above, with 40 per cent in the 70-83 score range, signifying that these children 'can successfully complete the most basic grade-level tasks', according to this study conducted by NCERT.

Ten per cent of the students tested were in the top category of 84 and above, which translates to mean that, they with their superior knowledge and skill 'can complete complex grade level tasks'.

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