Ministry of Education to conduct a ‘Foundational Learning Study’ to draw a first-hand understanding of the learning levels at the foundational learning stage

What is the News?

The Ministry of Education will be conducting a ‘Foundational Learning Study’.

What is Foundational Learning Study?

Conducted by: National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) 

Aim: To get a first-hand understanding of the learning levels of the students at the foundational learning stage (at the end of Grade 3). 

Objectives of the study

– To conduct a large-scale assessment of the foundational learning of grade 3 students to establish a baseline for the NIPUN Bharat mission.

– To establish reading proficiency benchmarks for fluency with comprehension for each of the languages being assessed under the study

– To provide the data for SDG 4.1.1. (Covering aspects of foundational literacy and numeracy).

Coverage: The study will be conducted across all states and union territories. Approximately 10,000 schools and one lakh students are expected to participate in the study.

Significance: This study is the first of its kind in the world, as it aims to set up benchmarks for reading with comprehension in 22 Indian languages. 

What is the importance of Foundational Learning?

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has highlighted that “the ability to read, write, and perform basic operations with numbers, is a necessary foundation and an indispensable prerequisite for all future schooling and lifelong learning”. 

Therefore, focusing on ‘learning achievement’ in the foundational years is essential to empower learners with capabilities to make their subsequent learning experiences more meaningful and absorb.

Source: This post is based on an article “Ministry of Education to conduct a ‘Foundational Learning Study’ to draw a first-hand understanding of the learning levels at the foundational learning stage” published in PIB on 24th March 2022