TS students lag, but above national average in English

In achieving learning outcomes, TS students below national average

The academic performance of students in Telangana in Classes III, V, VIII and X is less than the national average vis-a-vis achieving learning outcomes. This is the finding from a National Achievement Survey (NAS)

2021 released by the department of Education here on Thursday.

Notably, except for English, among Class 10 students, Telangana’s average performance is 48 per cent, higher than the national average of 43 per cent.

In Class 3, less than 50 per cent of the students could read even small texts with comprehension and read printed scripts on the classroom walls, poems, charts, etc, the survey noted.

Less than 40 per cent of the students could read and write numbers up to

999 using place value and could explain the meaning of division facts by equal grouping/sharing and found it by repeated subtraction.

Some 46 per cent of the students could voice their opinion on good/bad touch, stereotypes for tasks, wastage of food and water in family and school.

In Class 5, some 43 per cent of the students could read text with comprehension, while 48 per cent could read and write numbers bigger than 1,000 in his/her surroundings.

Less than 40 per cent of the surveyed could identify relationships with family members in extended families.

In Class 8, only 17 per cent could solve problems related to daily life situations involving rational numbers. Less than 30 per cent could draw and interpret bar charts and pie charts. Only 29 per cent could conduct simple investigation and seek answers to queries.

Only 38 per cent were making an effort to protect the environment and 31 per cent could differentiate between different kinds of markets.

In Class 10, only 21 percent could examine the steps of geometric constructions and reason out each step. Some 36 per cent students applied scientific concepts in daily life and were solving problems while 24 per cent of the students could draw interlinkages with Social Science.

In all classes — 3,5,8 and 10 — over 95 per cent of the students said they enjoyed going to school. Between 65 to 77 per cent of the students favoured speaking in their mother tongue. Between 92 to 96 per cent of the students understood what the teacher taught them in class.

Between 34 and 36 per cent of the teachers said they were overworked. However, 77 per cent of head teachers said that they were having adequate qualified teaching staff in their schools.

Teachers and principals of government and private schools said that the students’ environment, reading and writing practice and also regularity in schools mattered when it came to academic performance.

Brother Anthony, principal of a private school, said, “Even though the students understand what a teacher is teaching, they forget it. They have lost the habit of reading and writing, especially due to the disruptions to schooling caused by the Covid situations”.

He said the government of Telangana took the education system lightly. “They removed 30 per cent of the syllabus, but that syllabus is important to students who will be promoted into the next section. These were all part of academics, and how is this helping?”

A government school headmaster in the city said it was difficult to control students now. “They are investing their time in phones, social media, pornography and more, due to which they are unable to concentrate on their studies.”

“Many teachers have taken their job for granted and do not pay attention to their students. More than 50 per cent of the students do not even understand what we teach because of irregularity in attendance. Hardly any facilities are provided in government schools that attract students.”

“There is a shortage of teachers and lack of basic facilities in government schools,” added the headmaster.