West Bengal is the best-performing state in the foundational literacy and numeracy among larger states while in small states the top spot is secured by Kerala, reveals the report on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy released by The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister on Thursday. Lakshadweep (52.69) and Mizoram (51.64) are top-scoring regions in the Union Territory and Northeast state category, respectively.
The report which assessed foundational literacy and numeracy among children below 10 years revealed that Bihar is the worst among larger states and Jharkhand among small states. Ladakh has featured at the bottom in the list of UTs, while Arunachal Pradesh came last in the North East category. There are four categories in which regions have been divided — large states, small states, Union Territories and North East.
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Even though Kerala was the best performance in the small state, it could still learn from lower-scoring states like Andhra Pradesh (38.50), which outperforms Kerala (36.55) on access to education. “Some states may serve as role models for others in certain aspects, but they too need to learn from other states while addressing their challenges,” states the government report.
It further said, “States have performed particularly worse in the Governance pillar because over half of the states have a score that is below the national average, i.e., 28.05, the lowest across all pillars.” These pillar-wise analyses help states assess the state of the budgetary measures and steps needed to improve the state of education and identify existing gaps that obstruct their growth, the report added.
The report also pointed out that the performance of large states such as Rajasthan (25.67), Gujarat (22.28), and Bihar (18.23)is noticeably below average. Whereas the North-eastern states have the highest scores as a result of their superior performance.
Half of the states in the country have performed worse in the ‘Governance pillar’ as they have a score that is below the national average of 28.05, reveals the report. The states were ranked across five pillars.
On her state ranking best, CM Mamata Banerjee said, “We have secured the top rank among larger states on the ‘Foundational Literacy & Numeracy Index’. I congratulate all teachers, guardians & members of our Education Department for this outstanding achievement!”
The report prepared by the Institute for Competitiveness highlights the importance of early education years in the overall development of a child. It further highlights the role of well-planned early interventions like the National Education Policy (2020) and the NIPUN Bharat guidelines, leading to long-term improved learning outcomes.
Access to quality early childhood education is a fundamental right for all children. The earliest years of a child’s life needs to be understood in the backdrop of the socio-economic, psychological, and technological hindrances they face, which further affects the potential of a child in numerous ways, the report said.
The EAC-PM chaired by Bibek Debroy in a statement said, “Education leads to positive externalities and the quality of education imparted is important especially during the formative years. The present attainments in literacy and numeracy and the variations among states should be the focus for remedial action”
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