Mumbai: Only 55% of Class 3 students in the country can arrange numbers up to 99 in order, and a mere 53% of Class 6 students know their multiplication tables up to 10, a nationwide survey by the Ministry of Education has revealed—painting a sobering picture of foundational learning.
The Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH) Rashtriya Sarvekshan, previously known as the National Achievement Survey (NAS), was conducted on December 4 last year.
It assessed over 21.15 lakh students from Grades 3, 6, and 9 across 74,229 schools in 781 districts, spanning all 36 states and Union Territories.
In total, 1.15 lakh students were tested, with over 2.7 lakh teachers and school leaders responding to questionnaires. Among the key findings:
• Only 58% of Class 3 students could perform basic addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers.
• In Class 6, just 53% understood or could apply basic arithmetic operations in daily life.
• Students scored lowest in Mathematics (46%) compared to Language (57%) and Environmental Studies (49%).
Ministry officials said performance below 50% signals “clear learning gaps” that require urgent intervention. “These gaps underscore the need to strengthen instructional strategies, enhance student support, and prioritise basic skills,” a ministry official said. Worryingly, central government schools fared worst in Class 3 Mathematics, while government-aided and state-run schools showed weaker results in Class 6—especially in Maths. By Class 9, the hierarchy reversed: Central government schools led across subjects, with private schools following in Science and Social Science, though both continued to stumble over Mathematics. The rural-urban divide also stood out. Rural Class 3 students outperformed their urban peers in Maths and Language, but by Classes 6 and 9, the urban advantage reasserted itself across all subjects. School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar said the next step is systemic reform, starting with phased workshops to turn data into district-level action plans. “It’s time to move from numbers to impact,” he said.
