National Achievement Survey (Cycle 3) Class III Achievement Highlights 2014

Abstract

From Background: With the enactment of 'The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education' (RTE) Act 2009, government is obligated in ensuring eight years of quality education for all children in the age group 6-14 years. Over the past decade or so since the beginning of the Sarva Shikha Abhiyan (SSA) programme, there has been a significant increase in the number of schools and in the enrolment of children in government schools, most notably a large proportion of children from amongst Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Muslims and girls have joined the schooling system. Most of these children are also first-generation learners, coupled with the fact that they also come from very impoverished socio-economic backgrounds, which present unique challenges for the education system to adequately support the diverse learning needs of students. While high enrolment and diverse classrooms are a sign of healthy inclusion and participation in the education system, it is equally important that all children receive a good quality education. One of the key indicators of quality education is to understand whether children's learning achievement is improving over time in an equitable manner.