(From Left) Rohini Nilekani- (Ex Founder Trustee), Madhakar CV (Ex Founder Trustee), Rekha Menon (Ex CEO of Accenture), Santhosh Hegde (Former Lokayukta), Baliga PV (Rtd IAS), Suzzanne Singh (Trustee), Dhirendra (Ex-trustee) Ashok Kamath (Chairman & Managing Trustee).
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A Gram Panchayat level maths contest report conducted across 28 districts in Karnataka found girls outperforming boys in ‘higher performance bands’ and noticeable fluctuations in specific competencies between grades.
Akshara Foundation, a Bengaluru-based public charitable trust, released the study on its 25th anniversary.
Under the Ganitha Kalika Andolana (GKA) initiative, a maths learning movement supported by the Government of Karnataka, In 2024-25, the Gram Panchayat level Maths Contests were conducted across 28districts in Karnataka. Around 5,95,517children from 26,188 schools in4,890Gram Panchayats were assessed in about 30 days to address the gaps in numeracy levels of children studying in government schools.
Findings
The study revealed gender-based trends in performance across grades 4, 5, and 6. To understand the performance of students, three performance bands – 0-40%, 40-70% and 70-100% – were created.
In grade 4, 53.1% of participants were girls, slightly outnumbering the 46.9% boys. Girls outperformed boys in the 70%-100% performance band by almost 4 percentage points. Notably, 44% of children in grade 4 could handle division, while 48% managed subtraction.
In grade 5, 54.1% girls and 45.9% boys participated. Girls performed better in the higher percentage bands, outpacing boys by nearly 2 percentage points in the 70%-100% band. In terms of specific skills, 38% of grade 5 students could handle division (a decline from grade 4), while 52% were proficient in subtraction (an improvement from grade 4).
In garde-6, girls made up 53.2% of participants. In the 70%-100% performance band, girls outperformed boys by 2.5 percentage points. These gender performance trends mirrored those seen in earlier grades.
Require tailored interventions
“These trends highlight the importance of addressing gender-based learning differences and the need for tailored interventions to support boys, especially in foundational skills such as division,” the report noted.
“This report not only showcases the remarkable participation and enthusiasm surrounding the contests but also offers valuable insights into the challenges faced by children, especially in rural and resource-limited areas. At Akshara Foundation, we are dedicated to bridging these gaps and building a future where every child can thrive and excel in their learning journey,” said Ashok Kamath, Chairman of Akshara Foundation. The Foundation has been facilitating community-led assessments for a few years now under the Ganitha Kalika Andolana (GKA) initiative, a maths learning movement supported by the Government of Karnataka.
Published – March 12, 2025 09:00 am IST