National Achievement Survey (NAS) and its Findings

A nationwide survey has found that between 2017 and 2021, the literacy and numeracy skills of school students in India worsened considerably across subjects and grades.

• It has been carried out by the Union Ministry of Education.

Objectives of the survey

• The NAS is a periodic exercise carried out broadly in alternate years to monitor the health of the country’s school education system.
• It is a Triennial Survey was conducted last conducted in November 2021.
• It has been designed to provide a snapshot of learning outcomes in key subjects — essentially “what students know and can do” — at the end of Classes 3, 5, 8 and 10.
• These classes are generally seen to mark important stages in the development of a child’s cognitive abilities.

Procedure adopted for assessment

• Until 2015-16, the survey assessed the competency of students based on the core curriculum followed by states and UTs.
• In 2017-18, the focus moved to mapping the progress of learning outcomes as listed under the Right to Education Rules as amended in 2017.
• The survey covers schools run by the central and state/UT governments, government-aided schools, and private unaided schools.
• Questions asked by the NAS are framed to assess whether students can read, and carry out simple mathematical operations that are required in daily life.
• The levels of difficulty and complexity of the questions vary from one grade to another.
• In the higher classes, the survey also assesses the knowledge acquired by students in areas related to the Constitution of India.