In July 2025, the Ministry of Education(MoE) released the ‘Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH) Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024’, a comprehensive learning assessment, during the the National Conference on Curricular and Assessment Equivalence of Boards and Improving Learning Outcomes, at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
- Punjab emerged as the best-performing state in India, achieving the highest scores across Classes 3, 6, and 9, and showcasing its excellence in foundational to middle-stage learning outcomes.
- The assessment was conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an autonomous institution under the MoE.
About PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024:
i.PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan, formerly National Achievement Survey (NAS), was conducted on December 4, 2024, across 36 States and Union Territories (UTs), covering 21.15 lakh students from 74,229 schools across 781 districts in Classes 3, 6, and 9.
- It is held every three years; the last NAS was conducted in 2021.
ii.The survey serves as a baseline to evaluate stage-specific competencies at the end of the foundation, preparatory, and middle stages as per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
iii.It assesses overall system health, including student performance, teaching practices, and school infrastructure, via Teacher Questionnaires (TQ), School Questionnaires (SQ), and Pupil Questionnaires (PQ).
Assessment Framework:
i.Class 3 (Foundational Stage): Assessed in Language, Mathematics, and The World Around Us (TWAU) via a 90-minute test.
ii.Class 6 (Preparatory Stage): Tested in Language, Mathematics, and TWAU (90-minute test).
iii.Class 9 (Middle Stage): Evaluated in Language, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science (120-minute test).
Top Performers :
i.Class 3: Punjab secured the top position with 80 out of 100 marks, ahead of Himachal Pradesh (HP) (74 marks) and Kerala (73 marks).
ii.Class 6: Punjab and Kerala jointly held the first position with 67 marks, followed by Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu and Chandigarh, both scoring 60 marks.
iii.Class 9: Punjab ranked first with 57 marks, marginally surpassing Kerala (56 marks) and Chandigarh (53 marks).
Top 5 performing states in NAS 2024 across the three levels:
| Rank | Grade 3 | Grade 6 | Grade 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punjab (80) | Kerala (67) | Punjab (57) |
| 2 | Himachal Pradesh, HP (74) | Punjab (67) | Kerala (56) |
| 3 | Kerala (73) | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (60) | Chandigarh (53) |
| 4 | Manipur (69) | Chandigarh (60) | HP (50) |
| 5 | Rajasthan (68) | HP (59) | Delhi (49) |
Key Findings:
i.In Class 3, only 55% of students could sequence numbers up to 99; 58% could perform two-digit addition/subtraction.
- Average scores: 64% (Language), 60% (Mathematics) in 2024; a marginal improvement from 62% and 57% in 2021, but still below 2017’s 66.7% and 63% pre-COVID levels
ii.In Class 6, only 53% of students could understand and apply basic arithmetic concepts (tables up to 10, four operations on whole numbers) to solve daily-life problems.
iii.In Class 9, scores fell below 50% in Mathematics and Science nationally, indicating challenges in higher grades.
About National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT):
Director – Dinesh Prasad Saklani
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established – 1961
