In the last decade,Vadodara district primary school students mathematics and language skills have taken a beating. Blame it on the classroom-teaching pattern or dependence on learning by rote,the students of government primary schools are finding it difficult to comprehend questions in these subjects. The finding is based on an annual performance survey of the students of Vadodara district primary schools carried out by Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training (GCERT) and the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET). The survey is based on the performance of over 5,200 students of classes III to VI in 13 blocks across Vadodara district in a model achievement test. The survey has taken into consideration the results of the students since the academic year 1998-99. Naishadh Makwana,the head of DIET,Vadodara,said: A model test paper is prepared for each subject and students take the test twice every year following which their performance in both the semesters is assessed and compared. A comparative study of students performance in the academic year 2008-09 to their performance in the academic year 1998-99 has suggested a downfall in results of around 47 percent. The subject-wise and question-wise overview of the survey shows a possibility that most students are unable to comprehend the questions. For instance,the students could not figure out simple questions on addition or subtraction given in a sentence format, said V K Yadav,a lecturer,DIET,Vadodara. The annual analysis of 2008-09 suggests that students from Chhota Udepur,Padra,Sankheda and Sinor have performed poorly,while students in rural blocks of Dabhoi and Kwant have shown improvement in their performance. Makwana said,The analysis will help us understand the lacuna in the education system and find out if teachers lack in explaining the subject to the students.
