Himachal Pradesh Jumps to Top 5 in PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (PARAKH RS)

11 Jul 2025

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)’.

Himachal Pradesh: A Model of Rebound

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.

Top Performing State/ Districts

  • 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)

Key Learning Insights by Grade

Grade 3

  • 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.

Grade 6

  • 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.

Grade 9

  • 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.

Major Concerns

  • 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.

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Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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