More than 50% of the students in Andhra Pradesh do not have facilities at their homes for e-learning, and 90% of the schoolchildren suffered from anxiety and fear during the coronavirus pandemic, says the National Achievement Survey (NAS) Survey undertaken by the Ministry of Education.
The survey was taken up across the country. Opinions were collected from about 59,225 students of 3rd, 5th, 8th and 10th classes and 8,450 teachers working in more than 2,000 schools were interviewed in Andhra Pradesh, as part of the NAS-2021 survey.
The survey focused on performance of students in different subjects, digital facilities at homes and schools, support from parents, medium of instruction, stress and anxiety the students suffered during the coronavirus pandemic, awareness on the virus among students and other topics.
Drop in performance
The survey revealed a drop in performance of students in languages, mathematics, science and social studies subjects in Andhra Pradesh when compared to the national average. Children living in urban and rural areas were severely affected during the pandemic. About 95% of the students in the State expressed willingness to attend classes in person, the report said.
“The NAS survey has revealed the facts about the education system, challenges faced by students, teachers, parents and the education institutions during the COVID-19, pedagogy, learning skills of students and the changes to be made,” said Andhra Pradesh School Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission (APSERMC) member B. Eswaraiah.
According to the NAS Survey 2021, the students of primary classes were lagging behind when compared to their counterparts covered in the NAS Survey-2017 in Andhra Pradesh. The report will help achieve the goals envisaged in National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, said C.A.V. Prasad, another member of the commission.
Poor facilities in tribal areas
“The condition in the tribal hamlets is poor. Many students do not have facilities for online classes in Andhra Pradesh. Some villages are still facing power problem. Students do not have Internet, computers and mobile phones,” said Mr. Prasad, who visited some tribal habitations recently.
The NAS survey will help evaluate the children’s progress, learning competency, education system at village and district level and will guide the policy makers, education planners and the researchers.
“Based on the survey report, the in-service training inputs for the development of pedagogical skills of the teachers conducted by the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) should be taken seriously. Teachers should come forward for implementation in real classroom situation as 95 % of the students have expressed willingness to attend classes in the NAS Survey,” said Mr. Prasad.
