Lok Sabha Question No. 4638 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-22
Subject: Declining Learning Outcome
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: D.K. Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4638 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22 nd  JULY, 2019

## Declining Learning Outcome

## 4638. SHRI D.K. SURESH:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the learning outcome has declined in school children in the recent years;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has undertaken any study to find out the reasons for the declining learning outcome;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government is contemplating to take up any corrective measures to improve the learning outcomes and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK')

(a)  to  (d): The  National  Council  for  Educational  Research  and  Training  (NCERT)  conducts periodic national surveys to assess learning achievement of children in Classes -III,V, VIII and X.  The  National  Achievement  Survey  (NAS)  2017  was  held  on  13 th November,  2017  for assessing  the  competencies  of  children  at  the  grade  levels  III,  V  and  VIII  for  nearly  22  lakh students  from 1.10 lakh schools  in 701 districts  covering all the States  and UTs. NAS (2017) was  administered  with  districts  as  the  unit  of  reporting  in  different  subject  areas  such  as languages, mathematics, EVS/Science and Social Sciences in the Government and Government aided  schools.  The  competency  based  test  was  based  on  the  Learning  Outcomes  which  were incorporated in the Central Rules for RTE Act by the Government of India. NAS for students of class X was held on 5 th Feb, 2018 with a district level sampling framework covering nearly 15.5 lakh students using multiple test booklets in Mathematics, Modern Indian Languages, English, Sciences and Social Sciences. District report cards for NAS have been shared with the States and UTs to help identify gaps and devise strategies for further improvement.

(e): The Central Government has taken several initiatives to improve the learning outcome, which are as under:

1. In order to focus on ensuring competencies, the Central rules to the Right of Children to Free  and  Compulsory  Education  (RTE)  Act,  2009  have  been  amended  to  include reference on class-wise, subject-wise Learning Outcomes, which have, accordingly, been finalized and shared with all States and UTs.
2. Under  Samagra  Shiksha,  funds  are  given  to  all  States  and  UTs  for  strengthening  of infrastructure and provision of other facilities in schools to ensure that all schools meet the  prescribed  norms,  besides  other  interventions  to  improve  the  quality  of  education such as training of in-service teachers, headmasters and principals, remedial teaching for academically  weaker  students,  provision  of  library  grants  to  schools,  ICT  and  digital initiatives, strengthening of teacher education institutions, Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan, Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat, etc.
3. The online D.El.Ed. course was started from 3rd October, 2017 and 9,58,513 teachers have successfully completed the training.
4. Regulations for a four year B.Ed integrated course, to bring about qualitative improvement in teacher education, have been published in official gazette on 29 th March, 2019 and applications have been invited w.e.f. 3 rd June, 2019.
5. It has been decided to participate in the Programme  for  International Students Assessment (PISA) to be conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2021, which is a competency based assessment.
6. Approval has been given for conducting a Census based audit called Shagunotsav of all government and government aided schools in all States and UTs.
7. MHRD has designed a 70 indicators based matrix called Performance Grading Index (PGI) to grade the States/UTs.
8. In 2019-20, approval has been given for an Integrated Teacher Training Programme to  train  nearly  42  lakh  teachers  and  other  functionaries  to  make  classrooms  learnerfriendly  and  improving  children's  competencies  including  critical  thinking,  problem solving,  creativity,  as  well  as  social-personal  qualities  such  as  cooperation, team work etc.
9. In  2019-20  approval  has  also  been  given  for  a  competency  based School  Based Assessment (SBA) at the elementary level.

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