IN GUJARAT, on an average, 63 per cent Class III students can identify and extend simple patterns in their surroundings, shapes, and numbers against the national average of 69 per cent. Only 48 per cent can arrange numbers up to 99 in ascending and descending order against national average of 55 per cent while 47 per cent can perform addition and subtraction of 2-digit numbers fluently using flexible strategies of composition and decomposition of both numerical and word problems – the same as the national average.In terms of Language, 52 per cent can read short stories and comprehend their meaning — by identifying characters, storyline and what the author wants to say — on their own against the national average of 60 per cent.These are a few results of the PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) -Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 for Gujarat that had revealed a concerning state of education in the state.What makes the situation more alarming is the fact that the performance levels of students has been declining since the 2017 National Assessment Survey (NAS), which has been replaced by PARAKH.Not only the average performance levels of students of Class III, VI and IX in Gujarat across areas is lower than the national leverage — the state also ranks in the 10 lowest performing states — none from Gujarat is among the 50 high-performing districts in Class III, VI and IX.At the same time, several districts from Gujarat have been ranked in the 50 low performing districts in Class III and IX.In Gujarat, 1.4 lakh students of three classes — Class III, VI and IX — were assessed under PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024.Story continues below this adIn Class III, among the 50 low-performing districts, five are from Gujarat: Porbandar is at 48 and Chhota Udepur at 47 position while Kheda is at 44, Gir Somnath at 28 and Jamnagar at 21st position. In the low-performing districts ranked for Class IX, Chhota Udepur is at 49 position, Dahod is at 16, Dang at 31 position.The state survey, which was conducted in English, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Odia, Sanskrit and Urdu languages across government, grant-in-aid and private schools in Gujarat reveals a dismal picture where the performance outcomes across classes are below the national average.For instance, in Class III, in both Language and Mathematics, the average performance of students in Gujarat is below the national average. The difference is 7 per cent in Language and 8 per cent in Mathematics as the average performance of Class III students in language is 57 per cent and in Mathematics, it is 52 per cent against 64 and 60 per cent, respectively.Further, in Language, both boys and girls performed 7 per cent lower than the national average. In Mathematics, boys’ performance was 9 per cent lower than the national average while girls scored 8 per cent lower than the national average.Story continues below this adWhen performance of Gujarat is compared with other states, particularly in Class III Language, while the average achievement score of Gujarat was “significantly above” the overall achievement score – it was 330 against the national average of 323 – it was rated in the same category as Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Manipur, Odisha and West Bengal.The Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training (GCERT) has been tasked with the analysis of the PARAKH Report and also suggesting remedial measures after due deliberations with all the stakeholders.GCERT Director Prakash Trivedi told The Indian Express: “The PARAKH report findings are alarming and a reason for concern. A roadmap will be prepared once these findings are analysed and studied.”Senior Professor at Gujarat Vidyapith’s department of education Prof Bharat Joshi told The Indian Express, “We need to find out the causes for such a performance of students in Gujarat the same way we find the root cause of an illness before treatment.”Story continues below this adAmong possible reasons, he pointed out, is the appointment of teachers. “The process through which teachers are appointed needs introspection,” he added.In Class VI, in Language, Mathematics, and The World Around Us, the average performance of students in Gujarat is lower than the national average. The performance gap stands at 6 per cent in Language and Mathematics and 4 per cent in The World Around Us.The gender-wise performance levels are also lower than the national average. In Language, boys scored 6 per cent lower and girls 5 per cent lower than the national average. In Mathematics, both boys and girls scored 6 per cent lower than the national average. In The World Around Us, boys scored 4 per cent lower while girls scored 3 per cent lower compared to the national average.In Class IX, in Language, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science, the average performance of students in Gujarat is below the national average. The performance gap is 4 per cent in Language, 5 per cent in Mathematics, 2 per cent in Science, and 3 per cent in Social Science.Story continues below this adIn Language, boys scored 5 per cent lower and girls 2 per cent lower than the national average, in Mathematics, boys scored 5 per cent lower and girls 4 per cent lower than the national average, in Science, boys scored 3 per cent lower and girls 1 per cent lower than the national average and in Social Science, boys scored 3 per cent lower and girls 2 per cent lower than the national average.Further, in rural schools, students scored 4 per cent lower in Language, 6 per cent lower in Mathematics and 3 per cent lower in Science and Social Science than the national average. In urban schools, students scored 3 per cent lower in Language and Mathematics than the national average. For Science and Social Science, the performance was at par with the national average.On the findings, especially in Maths, Paridhi Trivedi Parikh, the co-founder of Vedic Math Learning System (VMLS), told this paper, “The PARAKH 2024 Gujarat report shows that mathematics is a (matter of) systemic concern. While students in Gujarat have scored below the national averages in some cases, working upon the foundations properly can help address this issue before it snowballs into a serious learning deficit by high-school level. The state has taken some steps but now it is the time to act more aggressively with a focused approach.”She said, “The way forward is clear: teachers’ training, experiential pedagogy, and stronger real-life applications of mathematics must become a priority. If we act with focus, we can turn this challenge into an opportunity — and emerge as a model state for math education under the NEP vision.”‘A wake-up call’Story continues below this adThe PARAKH Report has suggested enhancing student learning outcomes through innovative teaching strategies, integration of skill education and strengthening career guidance in schools.The findings highlight the need for greater integration of skill education in schools. “Policymakers can use this data to introduce diverse skill courses, provide funding and infrastructure support, and raise awareness among students about career opportunities. Strengthening industry partnerships and aligning courses with job market needs can enhance skill development and employability,” the report recommends.Experts have pointed out rote learning and “focus on marks and not competency” as some of the reasons for the dismal performance of students in the assessment.“The focus of ekum kasauti was to discourage rote learning but gradually, this was lost as all the questions began to be curriculum -based and not competency based… The PARAKH report is a wake up call to analyse these shortcomings and plan remedial measures accordingly,” a senior education official said.Story continues below this adOn the findings of the survey, GCERT Director Trivedi said there could be many reasons behind Gujarat’s poor score. “Students do not practise the type of questions that are being asked in the assessment surveys. Also, the survey exam was conducted on December 4, which includes curriculum of the previous class…,” he said. “While this is a fact that teachers are overloaded with work and other non-teaching assignments, this is not a justification for the survey outcome. It is possible that district education officers and block education officers did not take the assessment seriously,” he added.Trivedi, though, also struck a note of optimism. “We have two years as the next assessment is expected in December 2027. There can be a lot of interventions that can be implemented to achieve improvements.”