Bangalore, March 10, 2025: Marking its 25th anniversary, Akshara Foundation today released its 2024-25 Gram Panchayat Level Maths Contests Report, highlighting the impact of its Ganitha Kalika Andolana (GKA) initiative. This community-driven program, supported by the Karnataka government, assesses the math skills of children in grades 4, 5, and 6 across rural Karnataka.
The report, unveiled in the presence of Hon’ble Former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde, details the results of contests held in 4,890 Gram Panchayats across 28 districts. Over 595,000 children from more than 26,000 schools participated in the assessments, which are designed to provide an objective, out-of-school evaluation of numeracy levels.
Key Findings:
- Extensive Reach: Nearly 600,000 children were assessed, demonstrating the program’s significant scale.
- Gender Performance: Girls consistently outperformed boys in the higher achievement brackets (70-100% correct answers) across all grades. Boys tended to score lower in the lower achievement bracket (0-40% correct answers).
- Skill Variations:
- Grade 4: 44% of children could perform division, and 48% could perform subtraction.
- Grade 5: Subtraction skills improved to 52%, but division proficiency declined to 38%.
- Grade 6: Continued the gender trends seen in grades 4 and 5.
- Performance Bands: The report analyzed performance through three bands: 0-40%, 40-70%, and 70-100% correct answers, providing a clear picture of skill distribution.
Key Observations:
- The report underscores the need for targeted interventions to address gender-based learning gaps and improve foundational math skills, particularly division.
- The contests promote community involvement in education, sparking crucial conversations among parents, teachers, and local leaders.
“For over a decade, we’ve focused on making math accessible and engaging in rural Karnataka,” stated Mr. Ashok Kamath, Chairman of Akshara Foundation. “This report demonstrates the power of community-led assessments and provides valuable insights into the challenges faced by children in resource-limited areas. We are committed to bridging these gaps and ensuring every child has the opportunity to excel.”
The Gram Panchayat Level Maths Contests have proven to be a vital tool for improving rural education. The Akshara Symposium ‘It All Adds Up 2024-25 and the Gram Panchayat level Maths Contest Report are sponsored by HDFC Bank Parivartan.
