School readiness activity aims to fill learning gaps

Class VI students to get empowered with an exclusive school readiness programme introduced by the school education department in collaboration with the SCERT

Visakhapatnam: With the ‘Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)-2024’ indicating a concerning trend of apparent learning gaps among children, the school education department has come up with an action plan to fill them up and ease the learning process.

Tailored for Class VI students studying in government schools, the endeavour initiated in collaboration with the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) under the banner school readiness activity is scheduled to commence from June and last till August.

As a part of the exclusive programme meant for those studying in Class VI, a bilingual textbook will be given to students for the purpose. “The textbook contains summarised chapters of Mathematics, Environmental Sciences, Telugu and English from Classes III and V. The content aids in not just recapping the lessons learnt in the primary classes but also preparing them for the next grade with confidence,” an official from the school education department shares with The Hans India.

Apparently, the department officials aim at achieving two main targets by introducing the initiative. One, it becomes hassle-free to revise the lessons learnt and be thorough with fundamental concepts. Two, the exercise of getting into the higher grade becomes seamless.

Apart from streamlining the learning outcomes, the initiative also aids in narrowing down the learning gaps, making the rest of the academic phase easier for the students so that they could absorb subjects comparatively better. “The preparatory classes will commence from June and will continue till August,” informs an SCERT official.

Like academic curriculum, lessons of the school readiness activity will be imparted to students by subject teachers during school hours.

Even as ASER 2024 findings show an improved enrolment ratio, it has become a concerning factor that only 50 percent of the Class V students could go through Class II level text content and struggle to solve simple mathematical sums.

With the new activity in place, the school education department aims to enhance the learning outcomes of the children and help them grasp better when they move up to the next grade.