Himachal Pradesh Jumps To Top 5 In PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (PARAKH RS)

Himachal Pradesh jumped from 21st rank in 2021 to the top five in recently announced PARAKH RS findings.

National Achievement Survey (NAS) has been renamed as ‘PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (PARAKH RS)’.

Several reforms helped rejuvenate public education:

School Consolidation: Over 1,000 under-enrolled schools were merged, allowing better use of teachers and infrastructure in the face of declining fertility rates (as seen in NFHS-5).
Administrative Restructuring: The school education system was unified under a single directorate (pre-primary to Class 12), improving coordination and accountability.
Decentralisation: School-level decision-making was encouraged, improving student identity and participation.
Exposure visits for teachers and top-performing students (domestic and international) brought in new practices and motivation.
Cluster-Based School Management: Schools were organised into clusters to promote peer learning, resource sharing, and community involvement.

About PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (PARAKH RS)

PARAKH is the National Assessment Centre established within NCERT as an autonomous unit in 2023, in pursuance of the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
Objective: To develop norms, standards, and guidelines for student assessment.
It evaluates learning outcomes in key subjects like language, mathematics, and science for students in Classes 3, 5, 8, and 10 across government and aided schools.
It condcuts a national-level test held every three years by the Ministry of Education.

Best Performing States/UTs:
- Grade 3: Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala
- Grade 6: Kerala, Punjab, Dadra Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu
- Grade 9: Punjab, Kerala, Chandigarh
Low Performing Districts:
- Grade 3: Sahebganj (Jharkhand), Reasi & Rajouri (J&K)Grade 6: North, South, and South West Garo Hills (Meghalaya)
- Grade 9: Shi Yomi (Arunachal Pradesh), North & South West Garo Hills (Meghalaya)

Language:
- 67% could use vocabulary effectively.
- 60% could comprehend short stories and read simple texts.
Math:
- 69% could identify patterns; 61% understood place value up to 99.
- Only 54–58% could do basic arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division).
- 50% could recognise shapes or manage money-related tasks.

Math:
- Only 38% could solve multi-step problems; 29% understood fractions.
- Estimation and geometry-related tasks were handled by about 42%.
Science/EVS:
- 44% could observe natural and social features around them.
- Just 38% showed curiosity or made predictions about natural phenomena.
Civics/Understanding Systems: 56% could explain local institutions; 38% related to everyday social/cultural events.

Social Science: 45% understood constitutional values and historical roots.
Language: 54% could extract key points from articles and reports.
Math: Only 28–31% grasped fractions, percentages, or number properties.
Science:
- Around 34–37% understood basic physics, electricity, and biology.
- Just 1 in 3 could describe adolescence-related physical changes or scientific cause-effect phenomena.

Learning Deficits Persist: Especially in fractions, measurements, science understanding, and conceptual math at higher grades.
Grade 9 Weakness is alarming — students are not prepared for complex applications or abstract reasoning.
Geographical Inequality: Remote and tribal districts (especially in the Northeast) continue to lag.

Also Read
UPSC Daily Editorials	UPSC Daily Current Affairs
Daily Current Affairs Quiz	Daily Main Answer Writing
Check Out Previous Years Papers From PW Store	UPSC Test Series
Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store	Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store