Study Findings: 47% of Class 3 Students Cannot Recite Tables Up to 10

India's primary schools are in poor condition, as revealed by a recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Education. The survey, formerly known as the National Achievement Survey (NAS), found that 47% of class 3 students cannot recite multiplication tables up to 10. Additionally, only 55% of students can arrange numbers from 1 to 99 in ascending and descending order. The survey, which included 74,229 schools across 36 states and union territories, assessed 21,15,022 students from both government and private schools.

The survey examined the performance of 1,15,022 students from classes 3, 6, and 9, and gathered responses from 2,70,424 teachers and school leaders via questionnaires. According to the report, only 55% of class 3 students were able to arrange numbers up to 99 in ascending or descending order, and 58% could perform basic addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers.

In class 6, only 53% of students understood and could identify arithmetic operations and their relationships. They were able to recall multiplication tables up to 10 and apply basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) to solve everyday problems. In the subject "Our Surroundings," which includes topics related to the environment and society, students scored the lowest in mathematics (46%), while the average scores were 57% in language and 49% in "Our Surroundings."

According to Ministry of Education officials, instances where less than 50% of students could provide the correct answers reflect significant barriers in the learning process.