Mizoram, India’s first fully literate state, is facing a paradox in its school children’s academic performance. The Frontier Despatch, a data-driven investigative journal, found that despite being declared fully literate, Mizoram’s younger generation’s academic proficiency is not as high as the national average. The PARAKH survey, conducted by NCERT, reveals that Grade 3 students in Mizoram performed slightly above the national average in both language and mathematics. However, student performance declined significantly at higher grade levels, with Grades 6 and 9 performing below the national average in all subjects. Factors contributing to this underperformance include a lack of engaging learning methods, inadequate use of audio-visual tools and digital learning kits, and insufficient emphasis on continuous professional development for teachers.
