How are we measuring the success of our school education system?

The recently released results of the 2024 National Achievement Survey (NAS) by the Ministry of Education offer insights—and raise important questions.

Conducted once every three years, the NAS is a large-scale, school-based assessment that evaluates the learning outcomes of students in Classes 3, 5, 8, and 10 across government and government-aided schools. Subjects like mathematics, science, and language are assessed to understand how well students are grasping fundamental concepts.

In this latest round, Himachal Pradesh has emerged as a standout performer—jumping 16 ranks compared to the 2021 survey to enter the top five states in terms of academic outcomes. This is an impressive turnaround and a signal of targeted improvements in state-led educational interventions.

But while we celebrate these gains, it's also important to examine the limitations of the NAS.

The survey primarily measures knowledge retention and subject-based academic skills. It does not evaluate:

Critical thinking

Problem-solving abilities

Emotional intelligence

Civic awareness or values-based education

In short, the NAS focuses on “what is taught” and “how much is retained,” but not on how students are evolving as individuals or citizens.

As India progresses toward implementing NEP 2020, we must rethink how we assess learning. Future assessments need to go beyond traditional academic metrics and incorporate holistic learning indicators.

Because true education isn’t just about scoring marks—it’s about shaping minds.

🧠💬 What are your thoughts on how we should evaluate school learning in India? Should we go beyond marks and test scores?

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