Quality of learning (teaching) is strained

Whichever way you dice the data, the message is blunt: schools are packed, but minds aren't being sharpened. PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 finds 43% of Class 6 students can't grasp the main idea in a text, and 63% of Class 9 students struggle with basic maths. The December 2024 GoI survey tested over 21 lakh students from Classes 3, 6 and 9 across 74,229 schools in 781 districts, spanning all 36 states/UTs. Pratham's ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) and earlier government surveys have long warned the foundation of India's school system is cracking.

NEP 2020 rightly prioritises foundational literacy and numeracy for all. But as the PARAKH findings make clear, classroom reforms alone won't move the needle. Learning is deeply influenced by a broader ecosystem - family background, community support, school infra and quality of teachers. Without alignment across these, even best policies will stall. The survey also shows that students who perform better come from households with educated parents, access to electricity and digital tools.

That's why focus must remain on core reforms: shifting curriculum and assessment away from rote learning, investing in foundational learning, strengthening teacher training and pedagogical support, and expanding linkage between school and family to track progress. Struggling students must be identified early. As Unesco's Global Education Monitoring Report 2024-25 stresses, investment in leadership is also critical - through standardised principal training, gender-sensitive recruitment, induction support and clearly defined roles. India is losing far too much time, and potential, by not getting education right.