Lok Sabha Question No. 1671 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-10
Subject: Learning Outcomes at Primary and Secondary  Levels
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1671

ANSWERED ON 10.03.2025

## Learning Outcomes at Primary and Secondary Levels

## 1671. Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  assessment  to  measure  accountability  for learning and education outcomes across the country, if so, the details thereof;

(b) the steps taken by the Government to address the gaps in foundational learning and improve educational outcomes, particularly at the primary and secondary levels;

(c)  the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  strengthen  accountability  mechanisms  for teachers, schools and administrators in achieving better learning outcomes;

- (d) whether the Government has introduced or plans to introduce innovative teaching methods or technology-based solutions to enhance learning outcomes, if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the achievements made by the Government in improving learning level among students in rural and underprivileged areas during the last five years?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) Yes, the Government of India conducts large-scale assessments to measure learning and education outcomes across the country. The National Achievement Survey (NAS) was conducted in 2017 and again in 2021 to assess the learning levels of students at different stages of school education.

NAS 2017 and NAS 2021 provided a comprehensive overview of student performance in Grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 across language, mathematics, environmental studies, science and social science. The State-wise and District-wise report cards are available in public domain and may be accessed at https://nas.gov.in/report-card.

In continuation of these efforts, the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 was conducted on December 4, 2024 by the National Assessment Centre, PARAKH under the aegis of Ministry of Education. This survey marks a significant advancement in India's assessment framework, aligning with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes competency-based  learning  and  assessment  reforms.  The  PARAKH  survey  is  designed  to provide a detailed, granular understanding of student learning across different socio-economic backgrounds  and  regional  contexts,  ensuring  that  educational  policies  are  data-driven  and targeted towards equitable learning improvements. With participation of 74000 Schools, 2.70 lakh teachers and 21 lakhs of students across Government, Aided and Private Schools, the survey's data collection and analysis are aimed at strengthening accountability mechanisms and guiding future educational reforms.

(b) The  Department  of  School  Education  and  Literacy  (DoSE&L)  is  implementing  an integrated centrally sponsored scheme for School Education - Samagra Shiksha since 2018-19. The Samagra Shiksha Scheme has been aligned with NEP 2020 with focus on improving the quality of education and educational outcomes through various measures such as introduction of new pedagogical and curricular structure (5+3+3+4), Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), among others and covers the entire continuum of Education from 3 years of Balvatika (preschool) to class 12.

A National Mission called 'National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat)' has been launched on 5 th July, 2021 to ensure that every child in the country attains foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of Grade 2. Under Samagra Shiksha, all 36 States/Union Territories are implementing NIPUN-Bharat Mission.

The NEP 2020 emphasizes developing relevant concepts and attaining requisite competencies to facilitate optimal learning when children start schooling. Keeping holistic development in mind, a 3 Months Play Based 'School Preparation Module and Guidelines' for Grade I named 'Vidya Pravesh' was launched on 29th July, 2021. The goal of Vidya Pravesh programme is to promote school preparedness in all children entering Grade- I from diverse backgrounds and to provide play based, age and developmentally appropriate learning experiences in a joyful and stimulating environment leading to holistic development. The 12-week module contains developmentally appropriate instructions for the children entering Grade 1 to bolster a child's pre-literacy, pre-numeracy, cognitive and social skills. All States/UTs are implementing the Vidya Pravesh programme.

To improve the Learning Outcomes at Foundational Stage (3 years of Balvatika and Grades 1 & 2), the National Curricular Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) was released on 20 th October,  2022  providing  a  structure  for  the  syllabus,  Training  of  Teachers,  Learning Teaching Material (LTM), etc. Accordingly, Jaadui Pitara for Balvatika (3 years of pre-school) and Books for Grades 1 & 2 have been provided by NCERT for use by States/UTs.

Jaadui Pitara -a Collection of learning- teaching material for 3 to 6 years age group has been developed and launched on 20 th February, 2023. The Jaadui Pitara is a box having 53 Learning Teaching Materials (LTM) for the foundational stage. It has toys, games, puzzles, puppets, posters, flashcards, story cards, play book set for students, and handbooks for teachers.

The e-Jaadui Pitara (e-JP) was launched on 10 th February 2024. The e-JP is an app and website with integration of the latest technology with play-based pedagogy and a way to disseminate the learning of Jaadui Pitara and transcend it beyond the four walls of the classroom. The app currently has more than 1,000 stories in 14 languages.

(c) to (e) The Government of India has taken several measures to strengthen accountability mechanisms for teachers and school administrators in achieving better learning outcomes. A key initiative in this regard is the establishment of the National Assessment Centre, PARAKH, which serves as a central body for setting standards, conducting large-scale assessments, and providing  evidence-based  policy  recommendations  to  improve  the  quality  of  education. PARAKH plays a crucial role in developing standardized assessment frameworks, ensuring consistency in evaluation across different education boards, and promoting competency-based assessments  aligned  with  the  National  Education  Policy  (NEP)  2020.  Additionally,  the introduction  of  the  Holistic  Progress  Card  (HPC)  has  transformed  student  assessment  by providing a 360-degree evaluation of learners, focusing on  cognitive, socio-emotional, and skill-based development rather than just academic performance. This shift encourages teachers and school administrators to adopt a more personalized, student-centric approach to learning. To further enhance accountability, the State School Standards Setting Authority (SSSA) has been established to ensure adherence to quality benchmarks in school education, reinforcing transparency and efficiency in school governance. Moreover, the School Quality Assessment and Assurance Framework (SQAAF) provides a structured mechanism for schools to selfassess and improve their overall performance. The Government has also implemented various capacity-building interventions, including national and state-level workshops, training modules, and sensitization programs. These initiatives equip teachers with modern pedagogical skills,  familiarize  them  with  competency-based  assessment  techniques,  and  enhance  their ability to address learning gaps effectively.

To systematically track the objectives of NEP and underlying interventions at both macro and micro level, National Digital Educational Architecture (NDEAR) compliant Vidya Samiksha Kendras  (VSK)  has  been  launched  by  the  Ministry  of  Education,  Department  of  School Education and Literacy, Government of India.

VSK's has been developed with strategies designed to enhance the effectiveness of monitoring of educational initiatives and their eventual outcomes. A key feature of VSK is tracking of drop out  students,  monitoring  of  students  migrating  from  one  school  to  the  other,  progress  of learning  outcomes  and  real-time  monitoring  of  various  interventions,  aimed  at  improving access, students' academic performance and enhancing teachers' accountability in schools.  The overall architecture of VSK inter-alia helps to monitor Attendance of students and teachers, Assessment of students, Accreditation of schools, Adaptive Learning for students, Administration of schools under different management types. VSK's helps in data analysis of scheme for better implementation and outcomes.

The  National  Education  Policy  in  Paras  5.15  and  5.16  emphasizes  on  the  Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of teachers. These paragraphs emphasize that each teacher will be expected to participate in at least 50 hours of CPD opportunities every year for their own professional development, driven by their own interests. Similarly, School Principals and school complex leaders are expected to participate in 50 hours or more of CPD modules per year, covering leadership and management, as well as content and pedagogy with a focus on preparing and implementing pedagogical plans based on competency-based education.

In line with these goals, Ministry of Education is implementing a National Mission to improve learning  outcomes  through  an  Integrated  Teacher  Training  Programme  called  NISHTHA (National  Initiative  for  School  Heads'  and  Teachers'  Holistic  Advancement).  NISHTHA courses  are  conducted  online  by  the  NCERT  on  the  DIKSHA  platform  using  high-quality professionally made eContent. The Courses have been launched for Elementary, Secondary, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).

National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) and the National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) have been developed to support the professional development of teachers. The NPST outlines the competencies required for effective teaching at different career stages. The NMM focuses on creating a robust network of mentors to provide professional and personal support to teachers. NPST guiding Document and NMM Bluebook have been shared with States/UTs for wider dissemination.

Further,  under  the  integrated  centrally  sponsored  scheme  of  Samagra  Shiksha,  financial assistance is provided to the States/UTs as per the programmatic and financial norms of the scheme for implementing the different interventions/ components of the scheme, including teacher training and also for physical upgradation of all 613 functional DIETs in the country in a phased manner in order to strengthen the in-service training imparted by DIETs.

The Government has introduced several innovative teaching methods and technology-based solutions to enhance learning outcomes, focusing on interventions such as capacity-building workshops, large-scale assessments and key initiatives such as Holistic Progress Cards (HPC) under  the  National  Assessment  Centre,  PARAKH.  These  efforts  align  with  the  National Education  Policy  (NEP)  2020,  which  emphasizes  competency-based  learning,  technology integration, and  holistic  student  development.  Capacity-building  workshops  are  being conducted nationwide to equip teachers with modern pedagogical strategies, ensuring they are well-prepared to implement innovative assessment techniques and enhance student engagement. Large-scale assessments such as the National Achievement Survey (NAS) and PARAKH  Rashtriya  Sarvekshan  provide  crucial  insights  into  student  learning  outcomes, identifying gaps and enabling evidence-based policy interventions.

The implementation of Holistic Progress Cards (HPC) represents a transformative shift from traditional  report  cards  to  comprehensive,  multidimensional  student  assessments.  The  HPC focuses on cognitive, socio-emotional, and vocational aspects of learning, providing a more accurate and personalized evaluation of student progress. By leveraging digital tools and datadriven insights, these initiatives strengthen accountability in the education system and support evidence-based policy decisions to improve learning outcomes across the country.

The Government of India through the Samagra Shiksha scheme supports States and UTs in strengthening learning outcomes in existing Government and Govt aided schools, creation and augmentation of infrastructure facilities based on the proposals received from respective State/ Union Territory.  Further, special focus for rural areas and Educationally Backward Blocks is provided through the following schemes under Samagra Shiksha:

i. Kasturba  Gandhi  Balika  Vidyalayas  (KGBVs):  Under  Samagra  Shiksha,  there  is  a provision of KGBVs which are residential schools from Class VI to XII for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL). The KGBVs  are  set  up  in  Educationally  Backward  Blocks.  The  objective  behind  establishing KGBVs is to ensure access and quality education to girls from disadvantaged groups by setting up  residential  schools  and  to  reduce  gender  gaps  at  all  levels  of  school  education.    As  of January, 2025 about 1.93 lakh SC, 1.83 lakh ST, 46,858 BPL, 2.59 lakh OBC and 28,761 Muslims are currently enrolled in 5133 KGBVs nationwide.

ii. Netaji  Subhash  Chandra  Bose  Awasiya  Vidyalayas  (NSCBAVs)-  Samagra  Shiksha supports the provision of residential facilities under the intervention entitled NSCBAVs, with the primary purpose of reaching out to girls, urban deprived and other disadvantaged children and creating equitable access to school education in remote, sparsely populated and difficult to reach areas, hilly terrains, areas affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), large uninhabited areas with natural barriers like forests, waterways, rivers, etc. As of January, 2025, there are 1182 residential schools/hostels sanctioned under Samagra Shiksha.

iii. Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) which aims to saturate Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) households and habitations with basic facilities  such  as  safe  housing,  clean  drinking  water  and  sanitation,  improved  access  to education, health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity, electrification of unelectrified households and sustainable livelihood opportunities in a mission mode. Ministry of Education is one of the participating Ministries in the Abhiyan and PM-JANMAN is being implemented in convergence with Samagra Shiksha Scheme. As of January, 2025, an amount of Rs. 476.16 crores have been approved for 194 hostels by this Ministry.

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