Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: At a time when India is struggling to ensure children can read and do basic arithmetic by Class III – a core goal of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 – Haryana has reported a sharp turnaround in govt school-level learning outcomes (grade-level competencies). A statewide “census-style” assessment, exclusively accessed by TOI, showed the share of high-performing govt schools rising from 7% in Sept to 53% in Dec last year after a targeted remediation drive addressing foundational literacy and numeracy gaps.Haryana’s initiative marks a move from sample-based assessments to a “census-style diagnostic approach” that measures the competency of every child individually. The exercise covered over 4.35 lakh students across nearly 8,600 govt primary schools, using a digital teacher-led assessment system under NIPUN (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) Haryana mission.The first assessment conducted in Sept 2025 revealed significant learning gaps across the system. Most schools were classified in Category C (the lowest), where fewer than half the students had achieved grade-level competencies.Following the diagnosis, districts designed their own 45-day remediation strategies, grouping students by competency and targeting specific learning gaps. Peer-learning approaches were also used to support weaker students. “Every district made their own strategy for 45 days which also included category A students helping lower category students as all the students were already mapped,” NIPUN Haryana programme officer Pramod Kumar said.The state repeated the assessment in Dec 2025 using same teachers who conducted first round. “Data made a completely significant shift showing unimaginable progress,” the official said.Learning gains were visible across literacy and numeracy. Class II literacy rose from 46.5% to 67%, while Class III literacy increased from 44.2% to 61.4%. Numeracy performance also improved, with Class II scores rising from 63.7% to 78.8% and Class III numeracy improving from 50.5% to 71%. The results translated into a major shift in school performance categories. Number of Category A schools increased from 621 to 4,545, while Category C schools fell from 6,385 to 1,973.Officials said the next phase will focus on sustaining the gains and expanding the programme. The state plans to extend the NIPUN model to Classes IV and V, with around seven lakh students expected to be assessed this year.The shift is significant against the backdrop of India’s persistent foundational learning challenge. National learning surveys have shown only gradual improvements in basic reading and arithmetic. For instance, the proportion of Class III children in govt schools able to read a Grade II-level text increased from 16.3% in 2022 to 23.4% in 2024, while proficiency in basic subtraction rose from 20.2% to 27.6% during same period.
