‘Over 70% students cannot read a para’

Over 70 per cent of class six students in government schools cannot read a paragraph from a textbook, a baseline assessment survey has revealed. 

The assessment conducted by government school teachers using appropriate tools was aimed at revealing the level of learning of 2,01,997 children studying in 1011 schools under the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE).

According to the survey, 74 per cent students could not read a paragraph from their own Hindi textbook, 46 per cent could not read a simple story of class 2 competency and 8 per cent could not identify letters. 

Similarly, 67 per cent children could not do simple 3 digits by 1 digit division, 44 per cent children could not do 2 digits subtraction with borrowing and 5 per cent children could not recognise single digit numbers. 

“With only 54 pc children of Class 6 being able to read something (and just 26 per cent who can read their own textbooks), the remaining 46 pc would require additional support to first of all learn to read and write,” an official statement said. 

The baseline survey has been conducted to chalk out a plan of action for “Chunauti 2018”, the AAP government’s new education reform plan seeking to check drop-out of students and improve education quality with special focus on the weakest students. 

Under Chunauti 2018 scheme, students will be mapped and the weakest students given “special focus” to enhance learning levels from Class 6 to 9. The government will especially focus on “weakest students” of class 9 and ensure that they pass class 10 by 2018, a move aimed at leaving no child behind in its schools. 

“Children are being reorganised in two groups — Nishtha and Pratibha. While the focus in Nishtha group will be to build basic reading, writing and numerary skills of children in next couple of months, Pratibha will proceed with grade specified curriculum.  

“As soon as children of Nishtha group learn to read, the grade specific curriculum would be introduced to them as well so that they can participate in learning activities more confidently,” the statement said.