Srinagar: It took 10-year-old Salik Ahmad Dar of Pattan months to adapt to the online mode of learning.
From facing network issues to eye strain, he couldn’t concentrate initially during online classes. Yet, he passed with flying colors in the class 5 exam last year.
“It was difficult but not impossible. Every student in my class got good marks,” he said.
Salik is not an isolated case. A new survey has revealed that the education system in Jammu and Kashmir was comparatively better than many states during the pandemic.
National Achievement Survey 2021 revealed that the two-year-long pandemic has not affected the overall performance of students from Jammu and Kashmir. Students performed well in all subjects.
The students from around 3676 government and private educational institutions across J&K participated in the National Achievement Survey (NAS)-2021 conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in November last year.
The students of class 3rd, 5th, 8th, and 10th participated in the assessment survey which was done through offline mode in collaboration with the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) J&K.
As per the survey, the performance of class 3 students was rated 66 percent in language subjects, while the national average is 62 percent.
Similarly, in Mathematics, 59 percent of students performed well compared to the national average of 57 percent. Likewise, 59 percent of students fared better in Environmental studies (EVS). The national average is only 57 percent.
The survey rated the scaled score of students as 333 out of 500 in NAS 2021 in language subjects compared to 332 in NAS 2017.
In NAS 2021, the score in EVS subject by Jammu and Kashmir students has remained at 310 which is the same as that NAS 2017.
In Mathematics subjects, the overall score has been rated 310 against 318 in 2017.
As per the survey, in language subjects, 16 percent of students have been categorized advanced level, while 28, 33, and 23 percent have been categorized as proficient, basic, and below basic levels, respectively.
Pulwama, Srinagar, and Anantnag are the top three performing districts. Students of these districts have been categorized as proficient and advanced.
The survey revealed that 64.7 percent of the students in Pulwama are proficient and advanced in all subjects.
Srinagar and Anantnag have 64.1 and 61 percent of students categorized as proficient and advanced.
Noted educationist Professor Tariq Ahmad Chalkoo said the valley students quickly adapted to the online method of learning.
“The students have seen worst situations. Shutdowns, hartals, internet shutdowns et al. They were quick to adapt to online learning and hence performed well. Education institutions also did pioneering work by utilizing innovative methods during the pandemic,” Tariq, who heads the Department of Physics at Government Degree College Baramulla, told The Kashmir Monitor.
