‘TN has lowest learning outcomes score in south India’

Chennai: Tamil Nadu has the lowest score in learning outcomes domain among southern states, according to the latest education index released by the Union education ministry.Tamil Nadu students studying in Classes III, VI and IX scored 55.1 out of 240 in learning outcomes in the Parakh assessment test conducted by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in 2024, said the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 report for 2024-25. Kerala has a high score of 140.3 out of 240, while Andhra Pradesh, with 79.6, Karnataka, with 72.7, and Telangana, with 69, have better scores than Tamil Nadu. Punjab topped among states with 150.4 out of 240.However, Tamil Nadu performed better in other domains such as access, 72.2 out of 80 ; infrastructure, 108 out of 190; equity, 231 out of 260; and teacher education and training, 76.3 out of 100. Overall, Tamil Nadu's performance improved compared to 2023-24, with 582.4 on a scale of 1,000, and moved one level up in the education index. In the district-wise PGI scores, Krishnagiri, Kanyakumari, Erode, Trichy and Dharmapuri achieved better scores in all domains. Pudukkottai, Cuddalore, Ramanathapuram, Ranipet and Tenkasi had low scores in all domains. K Devarajan, former director of school education, said classroom teaching should be given priority for better learning outcomes. "Teachers should not be allowed to do any other data entry work during school hours. Classrooms should return to old methods of teaching," he said. Su Moorthy, state coordinator of the Federation of Education Development, said the gaps in learning were mainly due to teacher shortage in primary and middle schools. "There are nearly 11,000 primary schools functioning with just two teachers. The state govt should appoint one teacher for a class in all primary schools to improve learning outcomes," he said.Officials from the school education department said the Parakh assessment was conducted in 2024 and does not reflect the learning attainment of the present batch of students. "The school education department conducted a massive state-level achievement survey (SLAS) in 2025 and identified 7.47 lakh students from Classes VI to IX who had learning gaps. Through a targeted initiative in the previous academic year, more than seven lakh of those children attained basic learning outcomes," said an official from the school education department.