HYDERABAD: More than 82% of primary school students in Telangana have failed to achieve basic competencies in mathematics and English, while nearly 79% struggled with reading and writing skills in Telugu or Urdu, according to the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) mid-line assessment.
The findings are based on the FLN mid-line assessment conducted between November 25 and 30 last year for the academic year 2025–26. The report was recently released by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Telangana.
The assessment, aimed at tracking progress towards universal foundational literacy and numeracy among classes 1 to 5 students, tested reading, writing and mathematical understanding.
Tests were conducted in Telugu, English and Urdu, focusing on number sense, spatial understanding, basic operations and comprehension.
The report presents a grim picture across grades. Among Class 4 students, nearly 80% failed to perform division and about 64% lacked basic multiplication skills. About 75% were deficient in English writing.
In Class 3, nearly 88% could not solve simple division problems, though 66.1% managed addition and 48.5% subtraction.
Class 5 students showed similar gaps, with over 70% lacking basic English writing skills and the ability to perform simple division, and nearly 60% struggling with multiplication. Basic numerical skills, including counting, reading, writing and comparing numbers up to 9,999, also posed challenges for many.
Language skills remain a major concern. Around 65% of students were not competent in Telugu or Urdu writing. Even basic English tasks proved difficult, with many students unable to identify initial sounds in words or solve simple word problems.
For instance, several students failed to identify initial sounds in words — such as recognising the ‘k’ sound in “cut”— or solve simple word problems like: “Raju has seven marbles. He loses two marbles. How many marbles does Raju have?”
Despite the poor outcomes, the report notes marginal improvement over the baseline. Competency levels in Telugu and Urdu reading and writing rose from 9.9% to 20.9%.
English reading and writing improved from 7.5% to 17.2%, while mathematical competencies increased from 6.5% to 16.9%.
SCERT cautioned that these gains, though encouraging, are inadequate. “While there is visible progress since the baseline, overall competency levels remain low and call for sustained and targeted interventions,” the report said.
