Bad Infrastructure, No Teachers: Are India's Learning Surveys Missing the Bigger Picture?

While schools across the country are set to re-open, there is a very significant question hanging in the balance: how well are India's children actually learning? Beyond grades and figures, the answer is a whole lot more nuanced—and the measures that track it today may not be collecting the whole picture.

India relies on three big surveys to quantify learning gains: NGO Pratham's Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), National Achievement Survey (NAS)—now overhauled as PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan, and Foundational Learning Study (FLS). The trio collectively attempt to take a snapshot of what is being done in schools about the performance of children. But according to experts, they fail to capture the nitty-gritty, structural issues India's education system is confronting.

A Short Overview: ASER, NAS, and FLS

Ever since inception in 2005, ASER has led the way in assessing elementary reading and math ability. It is the only nationwide large-scale home-based learning survey that covers over 600 districts. It tests children aged between 5 and 16 years—school-going and out-of-school—and therefore does not include classroom coaching in its estimates.

Though NAS was conducted at school level and tested students in Grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 in language, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science, it tested only government and aided schools. This is in contrast to FLS, which was an NCERT one-time exercise conducted during the year 2022, trying to provide national norms for basic literacy and numeracy.

But somebody needs to make inquiries: Are these tools giving an accurate representation? Or are they just spewing out figures in the vacuum?

The Larger Issue: What the Figures Do Not Reveal

"It is very simple to capture enrollment or dropout figures. But these surveys try to suggest how the system is actually functioning—or not functioning at all," states Prof. Srinivasan Ramanujam, retired faculty member, IMSc, Chennai.

India's education sector is struggling with a serious deficit of teachers: more than 9.8 lakh positions, more than 2.5 lakh at secondary level alone. Add to that that only 25.5% of schools possess the absolute minimum of infrastructure required of them by the RTE Act, including toilets, drinking water, and functioning classrooms.

"How can you forecast learning with such precision under such conditions? It is like conducting haemoglobin tests on an individual without ever feeding them a healthy meal," comments educationist Niranjanaradhya V.P.

Methodology Matters

Both ASER and NAS are faulted on methodological grounds. ASER is based on the use of volunteers to test at home but ends up creating inconsistency and some children becoming uncomfortable in a new environment. NAS, as conducted in schools, could be coaching or memorizing rather than actual understanding.

"These are unscientific. Under a system of continuous and comprehensive evaluation, the teacher, who knows the child, must also examine them," asserts Niranjanaradhya.

Moreover, education is a state subject, syllabi, pedagogy, and exams come under state control. So how representative of what children in deeply diverse contexts are actually learning is one national test?

Tamil Nadu and states such as it have begun to have their own evaluation, done to local command. But as educationist Prince Gajendrababu points out, national surveys do not really tell us why the children are doing well or poorly, and if there are concerns about access and equity. "What can we have in a multi-grade classroom with no infrastructure support? Equitable outcomes?"

The Missing Link: Community Participation

While the surveys provide good information, their impact at the grassroots level is negligible, says experts. "Unless School Management Committees (SMCs) are informed and informed of the findings, nothing will follow," opines former Vice-Chancellor, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Dr. Vasanthi Devi.

Kerala provides a glimpse of success. Activated SMCs there have used survey data to know about gaps, increase accountability, and improve children. Elsewhere, though, awareness is shocking. "Until 2022, most individuals in Tamil Nadu did not even know that such committees existed," adds Dr. Devi.

She has a very strong last point: "The poorest of the poor attend government schools. If we wish for these surveys to be the reason for real change, the community should be at the forefront."