Percentage of top performing government schools dips in Assam: Report

GUWAHATI : The percentage of schools placed in A+ grade during an evaluation exercise of government elementary and secondary level institutions in Assam has decreased this year compared to 2018 and 2017, an official report said on Monday. The review was last carried out in 2018. Loss of instructional time due to COVID-19 was cited as the main reason for the percentage of schools obtaining A+ and A grades coming down in 2022 compared to the last evaluation in 2018, the report said. Altogether 11.52 per cent of over 45,000 schools evaluated in 2022 have made it to the top bracket in the evaluation process, ‘Gunotsav’, a decrease from 23.01 per cent in 2018 and 12.35 per cent in 2017, it said. Schools scoring 86.5 per cent and above are placed in A+ grade in the assessment.

According to the executive summary of the result of the quality exercise conducted this year, the percentage of schools in grade A this year was 40.70 per cent, a dip from 46.98 per cent in 2018 and 26.45 per cent in 2017. Institutions scoring between 73.5 per cent and 86.49 per cent are positioned in the A grade. Altogether 45,735 schools in 33 districts with 42,50,224 students were covered by the process, conducted in four phases from May to August this year. The percentage of students who appeared for the exercise was 91.72. The entire government machinery, including the chief minister and top officials, were engaged as external evaluators of ‘Gunotsav’.

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All government, provincialised, tea garden management schools of elementary and secondary level were covered in the scholastic evaluation done for Classes 1 to 9. The percentage of schools in grade B at 31.54 per cent in 2022 was an increase over the last two years. Schools scoring between 60.50 per cent and 73.49 per cent are placed in B grade. Institutions graded C (48.50 per cent to 60.49 per cent ) and D (0-48.49per cent) at 11.14 per cent and 5.09 per cent respectively had registered a decrease compared to 2018.

District-wise ranking

In district-wise ranking, as per percentage of A+ schools, Sibsagar topped the list with 52.77 per cent of its schools falling in the top bracket. Majuli (27.15 per cent) and Nalbari (23.50 per cent) were placed in the second and third positions respectively. Karbi Anglong has the highest percentage of schools in the lowest D grade as 28.85 per cent of its schools came in that category. The other two districts with second and third highest percentage of schools placed in grade D are West Karbi Anglong (23.39 per cent ) and Bongaigaon (15.93 per cent ).

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Quoting a National Achievement Survey, the report pointed out that the performance of schools all over the country was found to have decreased in 2021 from 2017 due to the learning loss suffered as a result of the pandemic. Changes in the grading system under the guidance of a key person involved in ‘Gunotsav’ in Gujarat have also led to the decrease in the percentage of schools in the top bracket, the report said. As the major objective of the evaluation exercise is the assessment of learning outcomes of students, the share of the scholastic part has been increased to 90 per cent in the current exercise, with 5 per cent each set aside for co-scholastic and community participation.

Scholastic performance was given 60 per cent and 85 per cent weightage during the assessment in 2017 and 2018 respectively, while the categories of ‘availability' and 'use of infrastructure facilities’ that carried 10 per cent and 5 per cent marks respectively were completely done away with in 2022. The remedial support plan, included in the report, has proposed coaching after school hours for students with grades C and D as the evaluation process has also analysed the learning gap both subject-wise and cluster-wise. Teachers will be trained in imparting special support to the children, and continuous support and follow-up action will be done from cluster to state level, the report said.