Students of Class 1-5 in over 600 Zilla Parishad schools have poor reading, writing ability

The assessment was done under the Nipun Bharat Mission or National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy, which was launched by the Union Education Ministry

Regarding the ‘poor-performing schools’, the CEO said that they have stagnated at a bad level and their overall learning level is poor. (Representational/ File)

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

The Pune Zilla Parishad has found that students in as many as 653 schools under it have poor learning levels and have shown no improvements in reading and writing abilities. The zilla parishad has categorised the schools as poor-performing schools.

In all, the Pune Zilla Parishad runs 3,452 schools with around 2,40,000 students.

The assessment was done under the Nipun Bharat Mission or National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy, which was launched by the Union Education Ministry under National Education Policy 2020.

“We have found that students in 653 schools have poor learning levels and there is no improvement in their reading and writing abilities. However, in some schools we have found that children have good learning levels and have shown improvement in their reading and writing skills,” Pune Zilla Parishad CEO Ayush Prasad told The Indian Express.

Regarding the ‘poor-performing schools’, the CEO said that they have stagnated at a bad level and their overall learning level is poor.

Under the Nipun Bharat Mission, the Pune Zilla Parishad had undertaken an eight-week-long drive to improve the foundation of learning and numeracy among students from classes 1 to 5. “The drive was conducted from December 15 to February 15. After that for one week, we conducted an assessment of their reading and writing abilities. During the assessment, we found 653 schools to be poor performing,” Prasad said.

Prasad said that prior to the drive, the officers conducted a baseline assessment of schools and students so as to categorise them into Levels 1, 2 and 3; with level 1 being the lowest learning level and level 3 being the age-appropriate level. The tools for assessment were standard tools developed and used nationally.

Story continues below this ad

He said that the Pune District Institute for Education Training had designed the eight-week-long plan for each class consisting of teaching curriculum, classroom activities and other related things. “The teachers were expected to report activities on the Acharya Vinoba Bhave App. The App became a repository of teaching and assessment practices around the district that could be used by other teachers.

During the drive, the teacher taught the students the learning skills, in addition to the regular curriculum. The end-line survey was done by the teachers of other schools – a cross-assessment,” he said.

As a corrective measure, the zilla parishad has now launched an intensive child-wise action plan. “As part of this, we will be deputing teachers from other schools to these 653 poor-performing schools in a bid to improve the students’ abilities to read and write,” Prasad said.

Prasad said 80 per cent of students are in Level 1 in these 653 schools. “In Level 1, the students are poor in both reading and writing abilities. Level 2 is an intermediary level while in Level 3 a student of a particular age is able to solve the question given to him,” he said.

Manoj Dattatrye More

Manoj Dattatrye More is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, having been with the publication since 1992. Based in Pune, he is a veteran journalist with a 33-year career that spans editorial desk work, investigative reporting, and political analysis. Professional Legacy Experience: He spent his first 16 years on the editorial desk before moving into active field reporting. He has written over 20,000 stories, including more than 10,000 bylined articles. Impact Journalism: He is widely respected for "campaign-style" reporting that leads to tangible social change. Road Safety: His decade-long campaign regarding the dangerous state of the Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki resulted in a ₹23 crore reconstruction project in 2006, which dramatically reduced fatalities. Environmental Protection: His reports against tree cutting on the Pune-Mumbai and Pune-Nashik highways saved approximately 2,000 trees. Anti-Corruption: During the COVID-19 pandemic, he exposed a scam where doctors were being asked to pay bribes for government jobs, resulting in them being hired without payment. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Manoj More's recent work focuses heavily on the shifting political landscape of Maharashtra and civic governance in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area: 1. Political Shifts & Alliances "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): A major report on the local self-government election results, detailing the NCP’s stronghold in Baramati, Indapur, and Lonavala. "BJP ropes in 13 ex-corporators, deals major blow to NCP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant political defection in Pimpri-Chinchwad as the BJP gears up for civic polls. "Congress opts for solo BMC run as alliance talks with Sena (UBT) collapse" (Dec 17, 2025): Covering the breakdown of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) talks for the Mumbai civic elections. "NCP(SP)'s Rahul Kalate, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjog Waghere set to join BJP" (Dec 19, 2025): Detailing high-profile party-hopping ahead of the municipal elections. 2. Civic & Administrative Accountability "PCMC draws ire for issuing tenders worth Rs 250 crore just before poll code" (Dec 17, 2025): An investigative piece on the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s last-minute spending spree before election restrictions. "93 killed in 76 accidents in five years: Bypass service roads in Pune remain undeveloped for 18 yrs" (Nov 16, 2025): A critical look at the long-delayed infrastructure projects contributing to fatalities on Pune’s bypass roads. 3. Social & Labor Issues "As state says TCS has laid off 376 employees: FITE flags figures, say nearly 2,500 were forced to quit" (Dec 11, 2025): Investigating conflicting reports regarding IT sector layoffs in Maharashtra. "Maharashtra govt move to 'downgrade' Aadhaar cards" (Nov 30, 2025): Reporting on the state’s decision to require additional documents alongside Aadhaar to combat identity misuse. Signature Beat Manoj More is the definitive voice on Pimpri-Chinchwad, an industrial hub he has covered for three decades. His reporting is characterized by its aggressive stance against local "gondaism" (thuggery) and a relentless focus on civic infrastructure—choked drains, garbage management, and public transport. X (Twitter): @manojmore91982 ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories