The Nipun assessments for Classes 1 to 4 have run into major challenges in Gurgaon, with more than half of the government primary schools reportedly unable to conduct the assessments because a large number of teachers have been assigned to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and Census duties.

The assessments, designed to evaluate students’ foundational learning in reading, comprehension and numeracy, began across the state on Tuesday. However, the shortage of teachers has disrupted both regular classroom teaching and the assessment process in several government schools in Gurgaon.

Under the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat), assessments are conducted digitally and require the unique login credentials of regular class teachers. With many teachers away from schools on non-teaching assignments, schools are struggling to access the assessment platform and complete the process.

At the Government Primary School and Government Girls Primary School in Badshahpur, all eight teachers have reportedly been assigned SIR duties. School staff said repeated requests for temporary replacements have not received a response.

“Since the academic year began in July, no classes have been held. Students come only for the midday meal,” said Bijender Khatana, a teacher currently deployed for SIR duties.

Teachers Deployed for Non-Teaching Duties

The crisis is particularly severe at Government Model Sanskriti Primary School in Fazilpur Jharsa, where 19 of the 20 teachers have reportedly been assigned non-teaching duties.

Head teacher Mukesh Yadav is currently responsible for around 780 students across 21 sections. He said he had informed the concerned departments about the shortage but was struggling to manage the students alone.

According to Yadav, regular classroom teaching has effectively stopped since May. Frustrated parents have been visiting the school daily seeking answers about their children's education.

A similar situation has been reported at Government Primary School in Sarai Alawardi, where only two teachers are reportedly available for around 250 students.

Digital Nipun Assessment Faces Login Credential Problem

The shortage of regular teachers is also creating difficulties in conducting the digital Nipun assessment. Since the system requires the unique IDs of regular teachers, schools cannot easily conduct assessments in their absence.

Teachers deployed on SIR duty are reportedly reluctant to share their login credentials because they fear that doing so could affect their service records or ongoing transfer-related processes.

The situation has raised concerns over whether the assessment data will accurately reflect students' actual learning levels, particularly when many children have received little or no regular classroom instruction for months.

Teachers' Association Raises Education Quality Concerns

Ashok Prajapati, district president of the Haryana Government Primary Teachers Association, warned that continued deployment of teachers for non-teaching duties could undermine parents' confidence in government schools.

“If government schools continue to operate without sufficient staff, it will erode parental confidence in the system, potentially resulting in declining enrolment and school closures,” he said.

The teachers' association has urged the state government to immediately bring teachers back from non-teaching assignments and reconsider conducting the Nipun assessments until regular classroom teaching resumes.

Dushyant Thakran, another teacher, questioned the usefulness of conducting learning assessments when students have not received adequate instruction.

“We are tasked with generating data on student learning, but the real issue is the lack of teaching these children have received,” he said, arguing that assessments conducted without sufficient classroom instruction may not accurately represent students' learning outcomes.

He called on the education department to ensure that every classroom has a teacher before proceeding with the assessment process.

Administration Promises Possible Teacher Reallocation

Addressing the issue, SDM Hitendra Kumar advised head teachers facing difficulties during the Nipun assessments to approach the administration.

He said teachers currently assigned to SIR duties could, depending on the circumstances, be temporarily reassigned to help schools complete the assessments.

The developments have highlighted a broader concern over the impact of SIR and Census duties on government school education, with teachers' deployment for administrative work disrupting classroom teaching, student assessments and the functioning of primary schools.