Ranchi: Jharkhand has scored significantly less than the national average on numerous parameters of education of students, revealed that the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 conducted by the Union ministry of school education and literacy in November 2021.
Education secretary Rajesh Sharma pointed out that in Jharkhand, the schools remained closed for the maximum period during the peak of the Covid pandemic compared to other states.
The NAS was conducted to assess the learning achievements of the students of classes III and V in language, mathematics and environmental studies, the achievements of Class VIII students in language, mathematics, science and social science, and the achievements of Class X students in modern Indian language, mathematics, science, social science and English.
The survey underlined that the score of Class III students in language was 314 against the national score of 323. The national and Jharkhand’s mean in mathematics were 306 and 298. In environmental studies, the state’s score was 299 against figure 307 at the national level.
In the NAS for Class V, the language mean score of Jharkhand student’s stood at 303 against the national mean of 309. The state was also below the national mean of 284 in mathematics as its students scored 276. In environmental science, Jharkhand’s score was 278 against the national figure of 284.
For the Class VIII students, the national average in language is 302 while the state score stood at 298. The state students were on a par with the national mean (255) in mathematics with a score of 256. The students were also equal to the national mean in science with both the scores standing at 250 while in social science the state’s students scored 254 against the national mean of 255.
In Class X, Jharkhand students achieved a mean score of 255 against the national score of 260 in the modern Indian language. In mathematics, the state students’ score was 218 against the national figure of 220. In science, the score of state students was 204 against 206 at the national level. The mean of the state and the nation stood at 231 in social science. In English, the state’s score was 269 against the national average of 277.
Meanwhile, state education officials attributed the below par performance of the state students to the closure of educational institutes during the coronavirus lockdown period. Education secretary Rajesh Sharma pointed out that in Jharkhand, the schools remained closed for the maximum period during the peak of the Covid pandemic compared to other states.
He said, “With the students of classes III and class V being deprived of classroom teaching for more than two years, it was expected that their score would be less. Online education in government schools covered only 33% of the students. For students of classes VIII and X for whom classes were held intermittently, our students were very close to the national mean in many subjects.”
Sharma said the NAS provides an insight into the weak areas where the state government needs to work.
The NAS also said the gender-wise report has indicated that girls in the state are lagging behind the boys in several subjects.
You must be logged in to post a comment.