Classrooms to Careers: India’s New Roadmap for Learning and Skills

DIPAKKURMI

India’s educational journey has undergone a profound transformation in recent years. It is no longer defined merely by increasing enrolments or expanding school infrastructure. Instead, the focus has shifted decisively to the quality of learning, pedagogical innovation, and measurable outcomes. This transformation marks a maturity in ambition — an acknowledgment that mere attendance in schools cannot be equated with learning. It is now imperative to ask sharper, more fundamental questions: What are our children actually learning? Are they gaining the skills necessary to thrive in the modern world? And are our schools evolving to meet the needs of a rapidly changing society?

The answers to these questions demand a rigorous and scientific approach to evaluation. As one expert aptly put it, “Students can learn despite poor teaching, but they cannot overcome poor assessment.” This statement underscores a critical aspect of educational reform: without accurate and wide-scale assessments, it is impossible to understand whether reforms are working or where intervention is required. In this context, large-scale student assessments have become central to India’s education policy. These assessments go beyond measuring individual student performance; they offer deep insights into systemic strengths and weaknesses and help shape targeted interventions at various administrative levels.

Over the past two decades, India has made commendable progress in building this assessment architecture. Beginning with the National Achievement Surveys (NAS), the country has now graduated to the PARAKHRashtriyaSarvekshan (PRS) 2024, a comprehensive national assessment exercise aligned with the pedagogical vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. PRS 2024 represents a quantum leap in terms of scale, scope, and sophistication. Covering 21.15 lakh students across 74,229 schools nationwide, the assessment targets students in Grades III, VI, and IX, aligning with the foundational, preparatory, and middle stages of school education as defined by NEP 2020.

The results from PRS 2024 provide a nuanced picture of the education landscape in India. At the foundational level, the data is highly encouraging. In Grade III, 57 percent of students demonstrated proficiency or above in Language, a significant improvement from 39 percent in 2021 and 47 percent in 2017. In Mathematics, the gains are even more striking, with 65 percent of children showing proficiency — a sharp rise from 42 percent in 2021. These achievements reflect the success of initiatives like the NIPUN Bharat Mission, which has focused on foundational literacy and numeracy through teacher mentoring, early-grade interventions, and targeted support mechanisms.

One of the most notable findings of PRS 2024 is the performance of government schools in rural areas, which in some cases have outperformed their urban and private counterparts at the foundational level. This reverses long-held assumptions about the performance gap between urban and rural education and highlights what systemic reforms, when properly implemented, can achieve even in resource-constrained settings.

However, the picture becomes more complex as we move up the educational ladder. In Grades VI and IX, the data shows that while central government schools have generally performed well, gaps persist in gender and regional outcomes, especially in subjects like Mathematics and Science. These subjects demand urgent attention if we are to build a strong STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) pipeline for the future workforce.

It is important to address comparisons made between PRS 2024 and previous NAS reports, which have often led to misleading conclusions. The structure and intent of PRS differ significantly from earlier surveys. While NAS focused on Grades V and VIII, PRS focuses on Grades VI and IX, following the updated curriculum stages. Moreover, PRS has moved away from textbook-based assessments to competency-based frameworks, which test deeper understanding and real-world application of concepts. Thus, direct comparisons — especially across different grades — are methodologically flawed. The only consistent data point across all three surveys is Grade III, where improvement is statistically verified and significant.

The true value of PRS lies not merely in national-level statistics but in the district-level insights it offers. This granularity allows local authorities to identify their strengths and weaknesses, enabling targeted and context-specific interventions. From states to individual school clusters, the data can inform policies, resource allocation, and teacher training needs. While the central government will continue to provide guidance and resources, the actual transformation must happen at the grassroots — in classrooms, in teacher development programs, and in district-level planning.

What sets PRS 2024 apart is its future-orientation. It does not merely present a “report card” of past performance; it offers a strategic roadmap for the future. As India seeks international comparability in educational outcomes, the focus will now expand from just foundational learning to life-readiness. This broader vision acknowledges that academic success must go hand in hand with skill development to truly empower the youth.

Recognising this, the Indian government is preparing to roll out a nationwide skills assessment, which will evaluate the employability and entrepreneurship potential of the youth. This will help in understanding regional disparities in skill-readiness and enable better alignment of vocational training with market demands. Recent initiatives like the data-driven grading system for Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and the inclusion of NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) metrics in the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) also signal a decisive shift towards evidence-based policy in the skilling ecosystem.

This approach also supports India’s economic and demographic realities. With the country’s working-age population growing rapidly, the ability to provide not just education but meaningful employment opportunities becomes critical. A workforce that is both academically sound and skill-equipped will be better prepared to drive innovation, productivity, and inclusive growth.

Moreover, these developments reflect a growing appreciation of holistic human capital development. By integrating school-level assessments with skill-readiness evaluations, India is creating a seamless continuum from classroom to career. This approach also ensures that policy decisions are no longer based on assumptions or isolated anecdotes but grounded in data and outcome metrics.

Equally important is the role of teachers in this journey. Training and empowering teachers to use assessment data effectively can make a transformative difference. Assessment is not just a diagnostic tool for systems but also a feedback mechanism for educators, helping them understand where students are struggling and adapt their teaching methods accordingly. Professional development programs must now incorporate modules on interpreting and acting on large-scale assessment data.

Looking ahead, the challenge will be to institutionalise these assessment frameworks and integrate them into the daily functioning of educational institutions. Technology will be a critical enabler in this process — from digital dashboards for real-time monitoring to AI-based learning platforms that can offer personalised feedback. Investments in ed-tech infrastructure and digital training for teachers must therefore be scaled up alongside curriculum reforms.

PRS 2024 represents a bold step forward in India’s education reform journey. It has not only helped the country take stock of its progress but also illuminated the path forward. From the revival of learning after pandemic-induced disruptions to the robust gains in foundational literacy and numeracy, the results are encouraging. At the same time, the gaps revealed at higher grades and in specific subjects serve as urgent calls to action.

In essence, India’s educational transformation is no longer a question of "Are we teaching?" but "Are they learning — and can they use what they learn?" The movement from input-based education to outcome-oriented learning is now irreversible. What lies ahead is the task of fine-tuning our systems, decentralising action, and maintaining an unwavering focus on both excellence and equity.

As we build stronger foundations and expand the scope of skilling and employability, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to an education system that is inclusive, evidence-driven, and future-ready. PRS 2024 is not the final destination — it is a milestone in a long and purposeful journey to ensure that every Indian child is not just schooled, but truly educated.

(Views are personal. Email: dipakkurmiglpltd@gmail.com)