National Achievement Survey to see a lot of challenges as schools are not yet ready

A country-wide National Achievement Survey (NAS), aimed at assessing learning loss in school students caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, will be carried out on November 12. The Indian Express reported that conducting such a survey, the first such since the pandemic broke out, will be faced with realities of delayed school reopenings and natural calamities.

In Tamil Nadu, for instance, with most schools closed following the red alert over the floods, the NAS exam is not likely to see any participation on the day of the survey, especially from private schools. In Delhi and West Bengal, with attendance still voluntary, some of the schools selected for the sample survey told the daily that they cannot ensure attendance. In Odisha, the authorities are concerned over attendance given the statewide bandh called by the Congress on Friday. And in Bihar, top government officials went on to say that with teachers away for Chhath puja, there could be logistical challenges in conducting the pen-and-paper exam. 

The Ministry of Education has said that the survey is expected to cover 38 lakh students in nearly 1.23 lakh schools in 733 districts across 36 states and Union Territories in government, government-aided and private schools. The survey will cover students of classes 3, 5, 8 and 10. In schools selected for the survey, each of the sample grades is required to have a standard-size batch of 30 students. 

KR Nandhakumar, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Private School Association, reportedly said,  “All education institutes will be shut till Monday due to the rains. It is obvious that we cannot take part in the test till then due to this.”  A senior official told The Indian Express that the Union government is aware that ensuring attendance for lower classes this year is likely to be a challenge. “But to account for such emergencies, we do over sampling. Even if 5% of our sample doesn’t turn up on the day, we should be fine,” said the officer. 

The last NAS was held four years ago, on November 13, 2017. The NCERT has developed the framework for the assessment and it will be carried out by the CBSE in collaboration with state and UT governments. Children of Classes 3 and 5 will be assessed in Language, Mathematics & EVS; Language, Mathematics, Science and Social Science for Class 8; and Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Science and English for Class X.