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Bridging India’s numeracy gap
Bridging India’s numeracy gap Premium
The National Education Policy 2020 rightly identifies Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) as the cornerstone of all future learning. The NIPUN Bharat Mission has translated this policy intent into action by focusing on learning outcomes rather than just inputs. Foundational learning outcomes — stagnant for decades — have shown measurable improvement, as confirmed by government as well as independent surveys.
Despite these gains, numeracy continues to lag behind literacy. The Annual State of Education Report 2024 report shows that while 48.7% of Class 5 students can read fluently, only 30.7% can solve a basic division problem — an 18% point gap. No State reports higher numeracy than literacy outcomes. This situation makes it essential to examine numeracy more closely on the path to achieving foundational learning.
The root of the numeracy problem lies in the cumulative nature of mathematics. Unlike language learning, where partial comprehension allows some progress, math is hierarchical and builds on itself. A missed concept in the lower grades, such as place value, can make future concepts like addition and decimals inaccessible. As a result, once gaps form, they tend to widen over time.
Traditional syllabus-driven teaching worsens the issue, as it advances without ensuring that students have grasped earlier concepts. Research and field experience from Teaching at the Right Level, an approach developed by the NGO Pratham, show that instruction must be aligned with a child's learning level rather than the curriculum. Without remedial interventions, grade-level teaching simply bypasses most learners, deepening existing disparities.
This gap is also evident in the disconnect between school learning and real-life application. A study by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab shows that students who perform well on classroom math assessments often struggle to apply that knowledge in real-life market situations. Conversely, children engaged in real-world tasks, such as working in a shop, often find it difficult to transfer those skills into classroom-based math problems. This two-way disconnect underscores the need for integrated learning that brings real-life problem-solving into classrooms.
The practical consequences of the numeracy gap are significant. Students who lack foundational numeracy skills struggle in both math and science — subjects which record far higher failure rate than others — in board exams. Many adolescents exit school even before reaching the board exam stage, not because of a lack of access or interest, but because persistent learning gaps make classroom instruction incomprehensible, especially in middle and secondary school. The dread of math is therefore real, and results in closing the doors of higher education for many who can't pass Class 10 board exams or drop out earlier.
Addressing this challenge calls for a multi-pronged response that builds on NIPUN's gains. The most urgent step is to extend interventions up to Class 8, given that about 70% of Class 5 and more than 50% of Class 8 students are still unable to perform basic division, as per the ASER 2024 report. Limiting foundational interventions to Class 3 is inadequate when upper primary children continue to miss out, many having lost crucial primary years due to COVID-19 disruptions. Experiences from the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, where extending FLN interventions into middle grades significantly improved outcomes as shown in the Parakh Rashtriya Survekshan 2024, confirm the value of such an approach.
Alongside this extension, it is equally important to move beyond “foundational” skills and introduce what may be called FLN+ skills — fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, and integers — since these are critical for board exam success and later academic progression. ASER 2024's finding that nearly 70% of Class 5 students cannot solve division suggests that an overwhelming majority also lack higher-level skills, such as adding simple fractions (for example, 2/3 + 1/2). This must change through a concerted effort.
Pedagogy, too, must evolve, especially beyond the NIPUN hours: child-friendly, activity-based methods already used for FLN should be adapted for higher-level concepts, ensuring teaching aligns with students' actual learning levels rather than rigid grade-based syllabi. Finally, the classroom must connect more meaningfully with the outside world. By embedding literacy and numeracy in real-life contexts and encouraging everyday problem-solving, schools can make learning not only more relevant but also more enduring.
In conclusion, India's numeracy gap is both widespread and deep, intensifying as children progress through school. Its causes lie in the cumulative nature of mathematics and instructional approaches that fail to meet students where they are. The consequences — poor learning outcomes, board exam failures, and high dropout rates — threaten India's educational and economic future. The NIPUN Bharat Mission has already shown that foundational skills can improve at scale with focused effort. The next step is to build on these gains and extend success to upper primary levels and to FLN+ skills, especially in math. Doing so is not just an academic priority but a social and economic one — with direct implications for enrolment, employability, and equity.
Jatin Goyal, a civil servant presently serving in the Union Territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Views are personal
Published - November 25, 2025 01:17 am IST
mathematics / school
Source: The Hindu
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