50% students in A.P. do not have facilities for e-learning, says survey

‘90% schoolchildren suffered from anxiety and fear during COVID-19 pandemic’

More than 50% of the students in Andhra Pradesh do not have facilities at their homes for e-learning, and 90% of the schoolchildren suffered from anxiety and fear during the coronavirus pandemic, says the National Achievement Survey (NAS) Survey undertaken by the Ministry of Education.

The survey was taken up across the country. Opinions were collected from about 59,225 students of 3 rd, 5 th, 8 th and 10 th classes and 8,450 teachers working in more than 2,000 schools were interviewed in Andhra Pradesh, as part of the NAS-2021 survey.

The survey focused on performance of students in different subjects, digital facilities at homes and schools, support from parents, medium of instruction, stress and anxiety the students suffered during the coronavirus pandemic, awareness on the virus among students and other topics.

The survey revealed a drop in performance of students in languages, mathematics, science and social studies subjects in Andhra Pradesh when compared to the national average. Children living in urban and rural areas were severely affected during the pandemic. About 95% of the students in the State expressed willingness to attend classes in person, the report said.

“The NAS survey has revealed the facts about the education system, challenges faced by students, teachers, parents and the education institutions during the COVID-19, pedagogy, learning skills of students and the changes to be made,” said Andhra Pradesh School Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission (APSERMC) member B. Eswaraiah.

According to the NAS Survey 2021, the students of primary classes were lagging behind when compared to their counterparts covered in the NAS Survey-2017 in Andhra Pradesh. The report will help achieve the goals envisaged in National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, said C.A.V. Prasad, another member of the commission.