In a landmark move toward competency-based education and data-driven reform, the Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, conducted by NCERT’s National Assessment Centre–PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), has provided significant insights into student learning outcomes across India.
Covering 21.15 lakh students, 74,229 schools, and 781 districts across all 36 States and Union Territories, the survey is India’s largest system-level assessment for Grades 3, 6, and 9. It establishes a baseline for student competencies aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, reflecting outcomes at the end of Foundational, Preparatory, and Middle stages.
Encouraging Foundational Trends
Findings show promising performance at the foundational level. In Language, girls scored 65% on average, slightly ahead of boys at 63%, while both scored 60% in Mathematics.
Rural students slightly outperformed their urban peers in both subjects. State Government schools emerged as top performers in Grade 3, signalling the early success of the NIPUN Bharat Mission.
At the Preparatory (Grade 6) and Middle (Grade 9) levels, Central Government schools performed best. However, the survey identified gender gaps, urban-rural divides, and subject-level disparities, especially in Mathematics and Science, that require urgent intervention.
Quote from the report:
“The assessment provides a baseline reflection of student competencies at the end of the Foundational, Preparatory, and Middle stages, aligning with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.”
Emotional and Digital Access Concerns
More than 2.7 lakh teachers and school leaders contributed through questionnaires, revealing challenges such as emotional stress among adolescents and limited access for Children with Special Needs (CWSN), pointing to systemic issues that require immediate attention.
Grade Comparability & Learning Recovery
Due to the NEP’s realignment of educational stages, only Grade 3 is comparable across previous NAS surveys (2017, 2021, and now 2024). The release cautioned:
“Comparison of Grade 6 and 9 scores with Grade 5 and 8 scores from previous rounds of NAS is likely to result in spurious conclusions due to change in the structure of the large-scale assessment.”
Using Item Response Theory (IRT), 57% of Grade 3 students demonstrated proficiency or higher in Language, and 65% in Mathematics in 2024. This shows significant improvement from NAS 2021 (39% in Language, 42% in Math), and even from NAS 2017 (47% and 53% respectively), indicating a complete recovery from COVID-19-induced learning losses at the foundational level.
Many States and UTs—Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh—achieved all-time high scores, showcasing the success of targeted interventions under NEP 2020 and NIPUN Bharat.
Quote from the release:
“This shift reflects a system-wide focus on building strong learning foundations in the early grades. It is the outcome of sustained reforms, close monitoring, and continued support to schools.”
Link to Global Goals
The gains support India’s progress on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.1.1, which tracks the proportion of children achieving minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics by the end of early grades.
Policy Implications
The results of PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 will influence curriculum redesign, textbook development, resource allocation, and further evidence-based reforms in Indian education.
“As the nation moves towards evidence-based educational transformation, the findings of PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 will serve as a compass for future policies, ensuring no learner is left behind.”
This assessment marks a watershed moment in India’s educational journey, reaffirming the need for inclusive, data-driven, and foundationally strong learning systems.