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NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
PARAKH Survey By NCERT: Meaning, Objectives, And Key Highlights
PARAKH Survery: PARAKH Survey, conducted by NCERT has revealed significant learning deficit among students in Grades 3, 6 and 9 across India, prompting for changes in overall education and subject-wise improvements. What Does PARAKH Stand For? PARAKH, which stands for Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development, is a National Assessment Center established under India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. What Is the Objective of the PARAKH Survey? The core objectives of PARAKH survey are: 1. Capacity Development in Competency Based Assessment PARAKH and PhDCC are conducting nationwide workshops to train educators on NCF 2023 and bridge gaps in competency-based teaching. 2. Large-Scale Achievement Survey PARAKH conducted a nationwide survey assessing 8.5 million students in foundational literacy and numeracy across 30 plus States/UTs. 3. Equivalence of School Boards PARAKH is working towards examination reforms and board equivalence through data-driven workshops and policy recommendations. 4. Holistic Progress Cards PARAKH has developed 360-degree Holistic Progress Cards to enable comprehensive, competency-based student assessments at all school stages. Who Is Conducting the PARAKH Survey? PARAKH Survey is conducted by the National Assessment Centre, PARAKH, which is an independent constituent unit of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). What Kind of Questions Are Asked? The PARAKH Survey is conducted for Grade 3, 6 and 9 and questions are asked related to students' syllabus, some in the form of assessments. These include: "Whether students can make a simple transaction using a 100 rupee note" for Class 3 students, and "Whether they can summarise key points from reading a text such as an article, novel" for Class 6. Is PARAKH related to board exams? Yes, PARAKH works with the board of school education to develop recommendations pertaining to examination reforms. PARAKH aims to make all the school boards equal in order to allocate credit points to all forms of learning, be it academic, vocational, or experiential. This equivalence of school boards will help PARAKH to make better examination reforms. Key Findings In language, girls slightly performed better than boys at the foundational. Girls achieved an average score of 65 per cent while boys scored 63 per cent. While in Mathematics, both boys and girls achieved the same score of 50 per cent. Grade 3 rural students outperformed their peers in both subjects. Central Government schools emerged as the top performer for both preparatory and middle levels. Key Highlights The 2024 PARAKH survey covered 3 classes- Grade 3, 6 and 9 while the earlier survey had covered Grade 5 and 8. 21,15,022 students had participated in the survey from 74,299 students. While the national average score slightly lags behind as compared to 2017, many states and UTs have shown improvements including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh. These insights help attribute to targeted foundational learning initiatives, enhanced teacher training, and the implementation of NEP 2020 recommendations, especially those related to the NIPUN Bharat Mission. The PARAKH survey puts focus on real world questions. For grades 3, 6 and 9 questions were asked regarding their Class subjects and real-world questions like "What students would do in an emergency situation like fire, small injury?" and Whether students know enough words to carry out day-to-day interactions. The PARAKH 2024 Survey results were updated on July 1, 2025. As the nation moves towards a data-driven education transformation, the results of the PARAKH survey will serve as the basis for education polices and reforms.
NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
PARAKH Survey Reveals Gaps In Students' Core Subject Understanding
PARAKH RS Survey 2025: Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH), an autonomous institution under the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) conducted a survey named- PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (RS) to improve the overall quality of education across India through student assessment. PARAKH survey was conducted across 74,299 schools of India and involved 21,15,022 students of Grades 3, 6 and 9. It helps understand how much (in per cent) students are good at core subjects like Mathematics, Social Science and Science. 2,70,424 teachers and faculties also participated in the survey. The number of students who participated in the survey was 5,99,026 for Grade 3, 6,63,195 for Grade 6, 8,52,801 for Grade 9. Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala are the top performing states for Grade 3, Kerala, Punjab, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu for Grade 6 and Punjab, Kerala, Chandigarh for Grade 9. Major Insights Uncovered In The PARAKH Survey For All Grades Grade 3 Discoveries For Mathematics Through PARAKH Survey Only 50 per cent of the students were able to make simple transactions using 100 rupees. Students who were able to arrange number in ascending and descending orders stood at 55 per cent. Grade 3 Insights For Language Only 60 per cent of the students read short stories and can comprehend their meaning. Students of Grade 3 who know and use enough words to carry out day-to-day interactions was recorded at 67 per cent. Grade 6 Discoveries For Language, Mathematics and The World Around Us Only 58 per cent of the students can understand main idea and draw conclusion from the material they read. Only 38 per cent of the students could carry out simple unit conversions, such as converting centimeters to meters. The percentage of students who knew simple number patterns such as odd numbers, even numbers, square numbers, cubes, powers of 2, powers of 10 and Virahanka-Fibonacci numbers was recorded at 49 per cent. Under the subject, "The World Around Us", only 45 per cent of the students knew how to prepare for emergency situations like fire, burns, small injuries, unseasonal rains and fallen trees, based on the discussion with family and community. Grade 9 Discoveries For Language, Mathematics, Science and Social Science Only 54 per cent of the students could summarize main points from a careful reading of the text such as an article, reports and editorials. For Mathematics, only 28 per cent of the students use the idea of percentages to solve problems. Only 31 per cent of the students understand sets of numbers such as whole number, fractions, integers, rational numbers, real numbers and more. 63 per cent of the students could not develop their own methods to solve puzzles and problems using algebraic thinking. 67 per cent of the Science students did not knew how electricity works through manipulating different elements in simple circuits. Only 41 per cent of the students could describe the properties of a magnet. 50 per cent of the Social Science students could not explain the key elements of Trade and Commerce (commodity, production, consumption and capital) and its impact on individual life and society. 61 per cent of the students could not explain and analyze major changes in the past and their impact on society. The PARAKH RS survey aims to enhance education quality by focusing on core subjects such as Language, Science, Mathematics, and Social Science. It helps teachers and schools gain insights into areas where classroom teaching can be improved.
The Print
8 hours ago
- The Print
Maratha Military Landscapes' UNESCO tag is a win. Conservation must catch up
But this recognition carries far more weight. It is a profound acknowledgment of indigenous military traditions and innovation that tuned the terrain into a tactical ally. This would be the first time when an inscription shines light on subaltern military heritage, celebrating the terrain-driven and decentralised warfare crafted by the Maratha generals—an extraordinary chapter of India's history that rarely finds mention on the global stage. With this latest addition, India now ranks sixth globally in terms of the total number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The journey to get this inscription was long and full of challenges. After two years of back and forth, the revised nomination was finally accepted last year and has since been hailed as a model for integrated military and ecological heritage. In the late hours of 11th July 2025, far away from the Sahyadri mountains, the World Heritage Committee, during its ongoing 47th session in Paris, added 12 formidable military forts of the great Maratha Empire onto the UNESCO World Heritage site list. Spread across diverse geographical and physiographical terrains of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, these military establishments—collectively termed as the Maratha Military Landscapes—have become India's 44th World Heritage Site. However, the responsibility does not end with the inscription. This will demand a stronger, strategic, and collaborative management plan for all the world heritage sites and for those in the tentative list. Conservation is a challenge for a developing country like India, where it's becoming increasingly difficult to manage the growing cityscape and historical and archaeological heritage. Outstanding universal value For every site UNESCO recognises as a World Heritage Site, its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) is evaluated. It is central to the World Heritage convention as it highlights the global significance the site holds, not only in the present time but also in the future. It notes the uniqueness of each site while evaluating the state of preservation and capabilities of the stakeholders to uphold the inscription. However, the responsibility does not lie with the country where it is located. It becomes a global responsibility to ensure that the site's value is not lost. In the case of the 12 forts of the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, the task to underline the OUV was undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India in collaboration with other stakeholders in the dossier. As per the statement, the military landscape developed between the 17th and 19th centuries CE. represented an extraordinary fortification and military system. The military system and the ideology reached their zenith during the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by c.1670 CE and continued till 1818 CE. This extraordinary network of forts, varying in hierarchies, scales, and typological features, is a result of integrating the landscape, terrain, and physiographic characteristics, particularly distinctive to the Sahyadri mountain ranges, the Konkan coast, the Deccan Plateau, and the Eastern Ghats in the Indian peninsula. According to the OUV, they represent the Maratha kingdom's envisioned military network in India. It is also stressed in the dossier that the significance not only lies in the architecture but also in the innovation of connecting them into a unified operational defence system through a strategic network that exploits the unique cultural landscape. They are also the largest concentration of forts integrated within a cultural landscape, globally. Along with the forts, the buffer zones constitute the most authentic, well-preserved, and representative sites of the Maratha Military Landscapes of India. The nomination boundary of the 12 forts includes all the key features that support their recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The area covers the main defensive structures that showcase the Marathas' unique military architecture. The buffer zone around each fort is carefully designed to reflect both the immediate surroundings of the fort and the larger landscape of related forts. This includes two additional layers of the Maratha defence systems built strategically around the main forts. These outer areas include smaller forts and outposts that supported the core structure. The buffer also considers old trade routes and natural features like hills, forests and terrain, which played a major role in the region's defence, culture and economy. These natural elements, along with the man-made check posts known as the Met area, formed part of the larger Maratha Military Landscapes of India. Protection and management In December 2024, Gwenaëlle Bourdin, the then Director of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Evaluation Unit (responsible for evaluating the OUV of nominated sites), submitted a short interim report on the evaluation carried out by an expert named Hwajong Lee (Republic of Korea). In the report, the panel considered that the 'Maratha Military Landscapes of India' might have the potential to meet the requirements for the Outstanding Universal Value, although this had not yet been demonstrated during the evaluation. From requesting an exhaustive description of each fort and of the nominated component parts, asking the State Party to justify its rationale behind selecting 12 forts out of the initial list of 390 forts, and 14 forts in the Tentative List, ICOMOS highlighted many concerns. However, the most important aspect highlighted by the ICOMOS was not its historicity or the description but the negative impact of interventions and developments taking place at a number of the sites from the list. These included steel towers and solar panels at Khanderi Fort, a ropeway and support structure at Raigad, modern structures, pipelines, and electric poles within several nominated areas. At Pratapgarh, new constructions have appeared in the buffer zones, while Panhala Fort has been impacted by communication towers, water tanks, and even a road cutting through the site. Similarly, National Highway 77, which runs through Gingee Fort, raises questions about its impact on the site's integrity. Thus, ICOMOS asked for the Site Management Plan for each nominated fort. In response, the State Party, provided enough material highlighting its competence in protecting the nominated components. It was noted that eight out of the 12 forts are centrally protected by ASI, and the rest are protected by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, government of Maharashtra. For overseeing the management, the State Level Apex Advisory Committee is formed. But is it enough? Also read: Early Harappan burial discovery is changing how we understand Gujarat's past A boon or a threat? Similar to the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, the magnificent Hill forts of Rajasthan, which include Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar, Jaipur, and Jaisalmer, were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2013. They were the first serial nominations of India: a group of geographically dispersed but thematically connected sites spanning multiple states or regions. Such sites require a unified conservation framework and an integrated, collaborative management plan. This increases the role of stakeholders in constructing future strategies that emphasise coordinated governance, ecological sensitivity, and active community involvement. Such an integrated effort targets ensuring long-term protection of the sites. However, many forts of Rajasthan, especially Kumbhalgarh, are facing growing conservation concerns due to unchecked tourism, structural degradation, and poor conservation efforts. These forts are vulnerable to urban pressure, increasing footfall, which impacts their integrity. It is evident that with increased visibility on the global front, there will be a sharp rise in the footfall. Are the stakeholders prepared for the preservation challenges not only of the monument but also of the landscape that is integral to their significance? Now that the spotlight is on lesser-known chapters of history, the real challenge is in protecting them without overexposing. Until a management plan is put in place and concerns are taken care of, we must celebrate the recognition that the Maratha forts have awaited for centuries. Let's also remember that heritage is not just about marking national achievements on a global stage—it is meant to be protected, preserved, and passed on to future generations. Disha Ahluwalia is an archaeologist and junior research fellow at the Indian Council Of Historical Research. She tweets @ahluwaliadisha. Views are personal. (Edited by Ratan Priya)
