Lok Sabha Question No. 14 (STARRED), answered on 2022-07-18
Subject: Academic Loss during COVID-19 Pandemic
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, Kalaben Mohanbhai Delkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 14 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.07.2022

## Academic Loss during COVID-19 Pandemic

## †*14. SHRI SANJAY JADHAV: SHRIMATI DELKAR KALABEN MOHANBHAI:

- Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a)  whether  the  Government  has  any  assessment  regarding  academic  loss  due  to  school closure  during  the  pandemic  especially  with  regard  to  Dadra  and  Nagar  Haveli  and Lakshadweep and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; (b)  whether  the  Government  has  made  any  estimate  of  the  total  number  of  children  who dropped out due to school closure during the pandemic and if so, the details thereof; (c) if not, the reasons therefor; (d) the steps taken by the Government to compensate for the academic loss of students due to closure of schools during the pandemic; and (e)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  make  changes  in  the  pattern  of  examinations  to
- provide equal opportunities to all the students and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

- (a) to (e)  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 14 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 th  JULY, 2022 ASKED BY HON'BLE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT SHRI SANJAY JADHAV AND SHRIMATI DELKAR  KALABEN  MOHANBHAI  REGARDING  'ACADEMIC  LOSS  DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC'.

(a)  to  (c)  : Due  to  the  spread  of  COVID-19  pandemic,  schools  in  States  and  Union Territories  (UT)  were  closed  as  a  precautionary  measure  to  protect  the  students.  This  has interrupted  the  learning  of  students  from  pre-school  to  grade  12. During  the  pandemic, Ministry of Education has held several consultations with the States and UTs to assess the various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Further,  the  Government  of  India  has  been  implementing  a  programme  of  sample based National Achievement Survey (NAS) aimed at classes III, V, VIII and X with a cycle period of three years. The last round of NAS was held on November 12, 2021 across India including UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep covering students of grades 3, 5, 8  and  10.  The  aim  and  objective  of  NAS  is  to  evaluate  children's  progress  and  learning competencies as an indicator of the health of the education system, so as to take appropriate steps for remedial actions at different levels. National, State/UT and District Reports for NAS 2021 have been released on 25.05.2022 and are available at http://nas.gov.in.

In addition, to ensure that children have access to education with quality and equity and to minimize the impact of the pandemic on school education in the country, Ministry of Education has shared guidelines dated 7th January, 2021 with all States & UTs which, among others, include identification of out of school children from age 6-18 years, enrolment drives and awareness generation, student support while schools are closed, continued Education for children  with  Special  Needs  (CWSN),  student  support  on  school  reopening  and  Teacher capacity building.

(d) During pandemic, Ministry of Education had several consultations with the States and UTs to assess the various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a view of addressing the issues related to gaps and/or loss of learning among students, during and after the lockdown, National  Council  of  Education  Research  &  Training  (NCERT)  has  prepared  'Alternative Academic Calendar' which is  a  week-wise  learning  plan  for  grades  1  to  12.  It  consists  of interesting  activities  and  challenges  related  to  topics/themes  in  the  syllabus.  It  maps  the topics/themes with the learning outcomes & facilitates teachers/parents to assess the progress in students' learning in a variety of ways. Also links for e-resources have been provided for those  learners  who  have  access  to  the  internet.  NCERT  has  also  developed  bridge  course modules for out-of-school children including various activities which are helpful for bridging the  learning  gaps  and  the  States/UTs  have  also  been  requested  to  prepare  and  implement School Readiness Module/Bridge Course in classrooms for initial one or two months for each grade.

In addition, a comprehensive initiative called PM eVIDYA has been initiated which unifies  all  efforts  related  to  digital/online/on-air  education  to  enable  multi-mode  access  to education. The initiative includes the following components:

-    DIKSHA the nation's digital infrastructure for providing quality e-content for school education  in  states/UTs:  and  QR  coded  Energized  Textbooks  for  all  grades  (one nation, one digital platform)
-    One earmarked Swayam Prabha TV channel per class from 1 to 12 (one class, one channel)
-    Extensive use of Radio, Community radio and CBSE Podcast- Shiksha Vani
-    Special e-content for visually and hearing impaired developed on Digitally Accessible  Information  System  (DAISY)  and  in  sign  language  on  NIOS  website/ YouTube

SWAYAM is a programme initiated by Government of India and designed to achieve the  three  cardinal  principles  of  Education  Policy  viz.,  access,  equity  and  quality.  The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching learning resources to all, including the most disadvantaged and to bridge the digital divide for students.

A  National  Mission  on  Foundational  Literacy  and  Numeracy  called  'National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat)' has been  launched  by  the  Ministry  of  Education  (MoE)  on  5 th July  2021  under  the  aegis  of Samagra  Shiksha.  The  National  Mission  lays  down  priorities  and  actionable  agendas  for States/UTs to achieve the goal of proficiency in foundational literacy and numeracy for every child by grade 3. Vidya  Pravesh module has been launched for class I students. This is a play based 3 months school preparation program for children entering in Class I.

Also,  to  bridge  the  learning  gaps  and  to  ensure  continuity  of  education,  this Department  has  shared  a  comprehensive  Learning  Recovery  Plan  with  all  the  states  and Union Territories on 01.02.2022 describing the actions/ activities to be undertaken by all the stakeholders,  indicative  annual  calendar  of  activities,  existing  interventions  which  can  be utilized and additional support with funds as one time measure. The weblink for the same is https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload\_files/mhrd/files/lpr\_2023.pdf

(e)   Examination pattern of CBSE is inclusive and equitable to all students. CBSE conducts examination  of  Mathematics,  Hindi,  English,  Sanskrit,  Telugu  and  Urdu  at  two  different levels (Basic and Standard) to accommodate needs of students. The Board prescribes uniform curriculum  and  uniform  examination  without  discrimination  of  any  kind.  However,  being sensitive to the needs of special students, CBSE extends certain exemptions/concessions to candidates having benchmarked disabilities as per the Persons with Disability Act 2016. Also, the Board allows students suffering from Type 1 Diabetes to carry eatables with them to the examination centre. The Board conducts Special exam for distinguished sports persons who participate in National /International level sports competitions recognized by SAI/Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India to promote talent in sports by giving special chance to those students.

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