The PARAKH RS 2025 (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development Rashtriya Sarvekshen) results have shed light on the current state of school education across India. This ambitious nationwide survey, launched by the Ministry of Education, evaluated more than 21 lakh students from Grades 3, 6, and 9 in 74,229 schools across 781 districts, making it one of the largest learning assessments conducted in India to date.
The initiative, under the aegis of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), aimed to assess students’ learning outcomes in key subjects such as language, mathematics, science, social science, and environmental awareness. The findings have revealed not only regional variations in performance but also subject-specific strengths and weaknesses, providing valuable insights for education reform.
Overview of PARAKH RS 2025
The survey tested:
- Language and Mathematics for Grades 3, 6, and 9
- Environmental Studies (“The World Around Us”) for Grades 3 and 6
- Science and Social Science for Grade 9
Over 2.7 lakh teachers and school heads also participated via structured questionnaires to offer insights on teaching practices, infrastructure, and student engagement. The assessment was not just about marks but about conceptual understanding, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking.
Top and Bottom Performers
The top-performing states and union territories included:
- Punjab
- Himachal Pradesh
- Kerala
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu
- Chandigarh
For Grade 3, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh led the charts. Grade 6 saw Kerala and Punjab shine, while Grade 9 highlighted the academic excellence of Chandigarh alongside Kerala and Punjab.
However, districts in Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh recorded the lowest scores, raising alarms about deep-rooted educational inequities.
PARAKH RS 2025 Subject-Wise Insights on Student Performance
Grade 3 Highlights:
- Language: 67% could use vocabulary for daily interactions; 60% understood short stories; 61% read simple informational texts.
- Mathematics: 68% grouped objects by properties; 69% recognized patterns; however, only 55% could correctly order numbers and just 54% grasped basic multiplication and division.
Grade 6 Performance:
- Math: Just 54% understood place value and large numbers; only 29% showed clear understanding of fractions.
- Problem Solving: Weak across the board—only 38% solved practical number puzzles.
- Environmental Awareness: 44% identified natural vs. social elements; 38% made predictions based on patterns.
Grade 9 Observations:
- Social Science: 45% understood constitutional ideals and India’s freedom movement.
- Language: 54% displayed solid reading comprehension.
- Mathematics: Worryingly, only 31% understood complex number systems; 28% used percentages effectively.
- Science: Basic concepts like pressure, temperature, and biodiversity were moderately understood by 34-47% of students.
These numbers indicate gaps in conceptual clarity and foundational skills, especially in mathematics and science.
PARAKH RS 2025: School Type Disparities in Student Performance
The survey also highlighted variations across school systems:
- Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) had low math scores in Grade 3 but were top performers in Grade 9 language.
- Government-aided and state-run schools struggled with Grade 6 mathematics.
- Private schools showed more consistent performance, but disparities in access, quality, and teacher training persist.
Why PARAKH RS 2025 Matters
The PARAKH RS 2025 is a crucial step in India’s effort to transition from rote learning to a competency-based education system, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Its findings are expected to:
- Inform curriculum design
- Guide teacher training
- Shape state-level interventions
- Support equitable allocation of resources
Way Forward
The survey clearly demonstrates that regional inequity, subject-specific weaknesses, and school-type disparities need urgent attention. Targeted interventions such as teacher capacity building, remedial programs, and digital learning aids may help address these learning gaps.
With its data-driven approach, PARAKH RS 2025 provides policymakers, educators, and parents with a critical tool to understand what works—and what needs fixing—in India’s school education system.
