New Delhi: In a recent survey, it was found that girls perform as good as boys in mathematics, science and social sciences. The nationwide survey, conducted by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) among 2.7 lakh students of Class X, revealed that girls performed on an equal footing with boys in these 3 subjects.
The survey showed that the perception that girls are not good with numbers and science is just a myth.
The survey was conducted in 2015 by the NCERT in 7,216 schools after different boards across 33 states and Union Territories showed that girls have better language skills. This survey also supported the idea that girls performed better then boys in English and other languages.
The study also highlighted that the performance of urban students was also found to be higher than rural students in reading comprehension.
Another disturbing trend was the poor showing in science and maths by students in a majority of states. Scores in science were below the national average in 24 states.
The survey showed that 21 states are falling below the average in Maths. It was noted that generally, students struggled the most in subjects that involved numerical problems and practicals.
In mathematics, only four states and UTs performed way above the national average while students from 21 states and UTs were evaluated to be significantly below the average. In science, as many as 24 states and UTs were below the national average even while a large variation was found in scores within states.
On average, just 41% of the questions on English were answered correctly. In mathematics, the percentage was even less (40%). Science (43%) and Social Sciences (47%) did slightly better. It was only in modern Indian languages (MIL) that students on average managed to answer more than half the questions correctly (53.5%).
More than one-third of the students scored between 0 to 35%. Only 2% of them could score 75% and above in science and social studies while none could score as much in English and mathematics.
Talking about the performance of different states, Karnataka performed the best, with students achieving scores significantly higher than the national average in four of the five subjects assessed.
The north-eastern states of Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Sikkim were among the seven best performers in English.
The report also summarised the performances of various central and state Boards — in subjects as well as range of correct answers. In English, the top three boards were ICSE, CBSE and Nagaland board while in mathematics, ICSE, CBSE and Odisha board scored the highest.
ICSE students outperformed in science and social science then other boards. In MIL, West Bengal board students better then the others.
