Himachal CM worried over dip in learning levels of states' school children

19 February, 2013

Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has expressed concern about the dip in the learning levels of elementary school students in Himachal. He said that the state now plans to institute a comprehensive plan to assess and improve the situation through frequent assessment of students. There is also thinking that performance of students would be on the basis on which schools in the state will be judged, ranked and assessed.

Virbhadra Singh said that in due time monetary and non-monetary incentives to schools will in time be linked to the performance of schools. Singh was responding to the Annual Status of Education Report-2012 (ASER) for Himachal Pradesh at Shimla today.

He has asked the state's Education Department to put together a comprehensive action plan by March 2013 so as to implement action for 2013-14, and a long-term task plan to stop the declining learning levels of school children - a worrying trend for the state.

The chief minister maintained that a child studying in Class I to VIII will be judged as per pre-decided standards and levels - every four months - by the Education Department. This will help to track the academic progress of each child.

Mr. B. Vergis Paul, of NGO ‘Pratham’ said that the NGO carried out a survey of 272 schools and 5500 houses in Himachal Pradesh. The report indicated that students in higher classes are unable to solve problems of lower classes.