Expand the focus on foundational learning
It is important to remember that attaining foundational skills was a critical challenge even before the pandemic. Data from the 2019 ASER showed that less than half of Grade 5 students had mastered Grade 2 level literacy. The last two pandemic years have only accentuated the problem
A nationwide study carried out by the Union ministry of education and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in March has, once again, underlined the deepening crisis in India’s public education sector, made worse by the pandemic. The study found that 37% of students enrolled in Class III have “limited” foundational numeracy skills, such as identifying numbers. And 11% lack “the most basic knowledge and skills”, the Indian Express reported on Wednesday. The study, the largest ever assessing foundational level learning, also showed that 15% lacked “basic skills” in English, and 30% were found to have “limited skills”. Based on one-on-one interviews, the study assessed 86,000 students in 10,000 schools. Its outcome is important because 80-90% of the brain develops when a child is six to seven years old. Therefore, building a solid foundation with the right educational and nutritional inputs is essential.
It is important to remember that attaining foundational skills was a critical challenge even before the pandemic. Data from the 2019 Annual Status of Education Report showed that less than half of Grade 5 students had mastered Grade 2 level literacy. That the last two pandemic years have only accentuated the problem, especially in underprivileged communities that mostly access State-run schools and face hurdles in online education, is well documented. The status of learning among students in under-resourced and localised “English medium” schools mushrooming in rural and peri-urban centres could be worse. Now that school attendance has stabilised, it is essential to see what kinds of remedial studies and reorientation have been done in State-run schools and whether they are showing results. There is absolutely no room to waste time.
The ministry-NCERT report’s findings will set the baseline for NIPUN Bharat (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy), the Centre’s scheme to improve foundational learning. The government’s focus is welcome since this strategy, if rolled out properly with the help of state governments, has the potential to empower children to rebuild what was lost and ensure wider-ranging impacts on education systems, communities, and the country.
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