42% Indian students meet global minimum proficiency level: Study

Source: The post is based on the article “42% Indian students meet global minimum proficiency level: Study” published in TOI on 25th February 2023

What is the News?

Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) has released The Foundational Literacy and Numeracy report. 

What is the purpose of the report?

Source: TOI

The report captures the role of language in education and focuses on improving the learning outcomes using appropriate assessments and medium of instruction. 

The report continues to be a benchmark for states and union territories to track their performance relative to their peers in achieving universal foundational learning by 2026-27.

Key findings of the report: The report said that 250 million Indian students were affected adversely due to the pandemic and that recovering from the learning loss required more effort than simply reopening classrooms.

What do the other reports say about India’s Foundational Literacy?

According to a study by Stanford University’s Institute for Competitiveness, around 42% of students surveyed across India achieved global minimum proficiency while 37% partially met it in mathematics.

According to UNICEF, nearly two-thirds of 10-year olds globally are unable to read and understand a simple text. 

According to a World Bank assessment, in India, around 50% kids lack foundational learning. By the time they reach Class V, it becomes difficult for them to grasp what’s being taught and learn as per their grade level.

As per a World Bank 2021 report, it is estimated that 25% primary school kids in India face a moderate to severe disadvantage as a consequence of the fact that the language used at school is not their home language.