‘Census-style’ 45-day assessment marks shift in early learning in Haryana schools

NEW DELHI: As India strives to ensure that children in grade three can read and do basic arithmetic – a core goal of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 – Haryana has reported a sharp shift in learning outcomes (grade-level proficiency) at the government school level. A state-wide “census-style” assessment exclusively accessed by TOI shows that the proportion of high-performing government schools rose from 7% in September to 53% in December last year following targeted remedial measures to address gaps in basic literacy and numeracy.Haryana’s move marks a shift from sample-based assessment to a “census-style diagnostic approach” that measures each child’s abilities individually. The exercise, which covered 4.35 lakh students in nearly 8,600 government primary schools, used a digital teacher-led assessment system under the NIPUN (National Initiative for Reading Comprehension and Numeracy) mission in Haryana.The first assessment, conducted in September 2025, revealed significant learning gaps across the system. Most schools are classified as Category C (the lowest), with less than half of students achieving grade-level proficiency.After diagnosis, each school district designs its own 45-day remediation strategy, grouping students based on ability and targeting specific learning gaps. Peer learning methods are also used to support lower achieving pupils. “Each district has developed its own strategy for 45 days, which also includes helping lower class A students as all students have been mapped,” said Pramod Kumar, NIPUN Haryana program officer.The state repeated the assessment in December 2025, using the same teachers from the first round. “The data has taken a completely significant turn and shows unimaginable progress,” the official said.Learning improvements in literacy and numeracy are evident. The second-level literacy rate increased from 46.5% to 67%, and the third-level literacy rate increased from 44.2% to 61.4%. Arithmetic scores also improved, from 63.7% to 78.8% in Class II and from 50.5% to 71% in Class III. The results translated into significant shifts in school performance categories. The number of Category A schools increased from 621 to 4,545, while the number of Category C schools decreased from 6,385 to 1,973.Officials said the next phase will focus on maintaining gains and expanding the program. The state plans to extend the NIPUN model to classes IV and V, where around 7 lakh students are expected to be assessed this year.This shift is significant in the context of India’s continuing challenges with basic learning. The National Learning Survey shows only incremental improvements in basic reading and numeracy. For example, the proportion of Level 3 children in public schools who can read Level 2 text increased from 16.3% in 2022 to 23.4% in 2024, while proficiency in basic subtraction increased from 20.2% to 27.6% during the same period.