Lok Sabha Question No. 65 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-01
Subject: NIPUN Bharat
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Kalipada Saren Kherwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-65 ANSWERED ON-01/12/2025

## NIPUN Bharat

65. Shri Kalipada Saren Kherwal:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  forty  eight  percent  of  students  either  lacked  most  of  the  basic knowledge or had limited knowledge and skills with regard to global minimum proficiency as per the Foundational Learning Study 2022, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is also a fact that approximately one out of three class VIII students in rural India within the age group of 14 to 18 cannot read class II level text fluently as per Annual Status of Education Report 2024 and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  the  details  of  progress  achieved  by  National  Initiative  for  Proficiency  in  Reading  with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Bharat since 2021, year-wise; and
- (d) the details of proportion of students in primary schools who have achieved foundational numeracy and literacy?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a to d)   Foundational Learning Study (FLS) 2022, conducted by NCERT under the aegis of Department  of  School  Education  &  Literacy  (DoSE&L),  Ministry  of  Education(MoE), provides  benchmarks for foundational literacy in different languages and foundational based on Global Minimum Proficiency framework. As per FLS 2022, 52% students are proficient in numeracy whereas proficiency across languages tends to vary. Benchmarks and proficiency data from the FLS 2022 study is available in the public domain at  https://parakh.ncert.gov.in/sites/default/files/fls-reports/report-files-pdf/ORF.pdf

The Government of India conducted PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (earlier known as National Achievement Survey) on 4th December, 2024, to understand the baseline performance under  the  National  Education  Policy  (NEP)  2020  in  development  of  competencies  among students at the end of the Foundational, Preparatory and Middle Stages (assessed in Grades 3, 6 and 9, respectively) of education. This Sarvekshan is designed as a system-level reflection on Learning Outcomes in India which underscores critical competency, skill or infrastructural gaps at various stages of schooling. National, State and District level reports for PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan(PRS) 2024 are available at https://dashboard.parakh.ncert.gov.in/en, a dedicated dashboard designed to disseminate the findings of the assessment. The findings of PRS 2024 highlight a significant improvement as compared to National Achievement Survey 2021 in foundational literacy and numeracy skills, thereby, reflecting the positive impact of the NIPUN Bharat Mission launched under NEP 2020.

The Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education has launched a National Mission called 'National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat)' on 5th July, 2021 for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of Grade 2. This Mission has been set up under the aegis of the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha-  an  integrated  scheme  for  School  Education  Under  Samagra  Shiksha.  All  36 States/Union  Territories  are  implementing  NIPUN-Bharat  Mission.  National  Curricular Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) was released on 20th October, 2022 providing a structure for the syllabus, Training of Teachers, Learning Teaching Material (LTM), etc. The various  initiatives  under  NIPUN  Bharat  Mission  which  contribute  to  better  outcomes implemented by all States/UTs :-

- A 3 months play based 'School Preparation Module and Guidelines' for Grade I named 'Vidya  Pravesh'  was  launched  on  29 th July,  2021.  The  goal  of  Vidya  Pravesh programme is to promote school preparedness in all children coming to Grade- I from diverse backgrounds (Balvatika, Anganwadi Centers (AWCs), at home, private play schools  etc.),  to  ensure  a  smooth  transition  of  children  to  Grade-I.  It  provides  play based,  age  and  developmentally  appropriate  learning  experiences  in  a  joyful  and stimulating  environment  leading  to  holistic  development  to  bolster  a  child's  preliteracy, pre-numeracy, cognitive and social skills. This Programme  is being implemented across the country. From 2022-23 till date, over 4.2 crore students in 8.9 lakh schools have benefitted.
- Jaadui Pitara (JP): Launched on 20th February 2023, JP is a collection of 53 LearningTeaching Materials (LTM) (toys, games, puzzles, story cards, etc.) for children aged 36  years.  It  includes  resources  translated  into  22  languages,  a  Trainer's  Handbook 'Unmukh', and an Activity Book 'Anand' for integrated worksheets.
- Play and activity-based textbooks for classes 1 and 2 have released in July, 2023 (Hindi'Sarangi',  English-'Mridang',  'Mathematics-  Joyful-Mathematics  and  AnandmayGanit' and Urdu- 'Shahnai') fulfilling NEP 2020 and NCF-FS (National Curricular Framework for Foundational Stage) recommendations.
- e-Jaadui Pitara (e-JP): Launched on 10th February 2024, this app and website extend JP's reach beyond classrooms, providing interactive content in multiple languages with AI-driven bots through Katha Sakhi (storyteller), Teacher Tara (educator guide), and Parent  Tara (parent support). It has over  1,000  stories and  is accessible via https://ejaaduipitara.ncert.gov.in/.
- Primers (launched in March, 2024) have been developed in 121 Local Languages for foundational literacy and numeracy in mother tongues spoken by populations of at least 10,000.
- Lakshya  or  Targets  for  Foundational  Literacy  and  Numeracy  starting  from  the Balvatika upto Grade 2 based on the learning outcomes have been developed on the basis of national and international research.
- In  order  to  provide  continuous  learning  opportunities  to  the  teachers,  NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement) online was launched using DIKSHA platform in October 2020 to reach out to elementary teachers and its further extension to all level of teachers. 13.74 lakh+ teachers and 1.69 lakh+ teachers have completed NISHTHA online training programmes for FLN &amp; ECCE respectively. In total, 15.43 lakh+ teachers have been covered.

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