New Delhi, Jan 28 : The latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) for 2024 was released on Tuesday, unveiling a remarkable recovery in foundational learning among Grade 3 students in the country.

According to the findings of the Survey, the Grade 3 students have recorded significant improvement in both reading and arithmetic skills in government schools, signalling a watershed moment for education reform in government schools.

'In 2024, the percentage of Grade 3 students able to read Grade 2-level text rose by an impressive 43 per cent, from 16.3 per cent in 2022 to 23.4 per cent. This recovery follows a prolonged decline due to learning loss during COVID, with basic reading levels at 20.9 per cent in 2018 before slipping further,' said an official statement.

'Arithmetic skills have shown a 30 per cent improvement: the proportion of Grade 3 children capable of performing basic subtraction rose from 25.9 per cent in 2021 to 33.7 per cent in 2024,' it further said.

The government's ambitious NIPUN Bharat Mission (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy), launched in 2021, is understood to be the reason behind this transitional shift.

The objective of this mission is to ensure that all children are able to achieve grade-level reading and numeracy skills by the end of Grade 2.

The focus is evident in the policy's guidelines, which says, 'Our highest priority must be to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) in primary school and beyond by 2026-27. '

The mission has also catalysed significant financial investments. Between 2021 and 2025, '9,235 crores were disbursed under the Samagra Shiksha framework, with over '2,000 crores allocated annually for teacher training, assessments, and high-quality learning materials. The budgetary support in ensuring quality interventions across the schools proved instrumental in bridging gaps in improving teaching and learning practices for children.

Over the last three years, NIPUN Bharat has enabled sweeping changes in classroom practices and resource allocation which include implementation of FLN activities for Grades 1-3, equipping schools with teaching and learning materials funds, distribution of textbooks in schools and distribution of school readiness programs for students entering Grade I.

/IANS