The government will assess students of classes I to V in state-run schools thrice a year to provide quality education and curb dropouts.

Being introduced for the first time in Bihar, the assessment report, to be filled up by teachers concerned, would compile details of the students’ academic performance and learning abilities.

Reports compiled by the government as well as non-government agencies have painted a bleak picture of the state in providing quality education. The government’s campaign for enrolment of students to schools had stirred a controversy last year, following detection of a large number of fake admissions for availing benefits of various schemes.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar will launch the scheme on Teachers’ Day (September 5) under which every student would have an assessment report mentioning his/her name, name of school and parents’ names apart from days of attendance from April in a year to March next year. Education department principal secretary Amarjeet Sinha said: “It will be implemented in classes I to V in all government schools.” In Bihar, around 1.5 crore students are enrolled in around 71,000 elementary government schools.

Once the teachers prepare the assessment reports, they would be shared with the guardians and school principals.

District education officers and other senior education department officers would check the reports kept at the schools during their visits.

Sources said under the scheme, a student would be assessed in Hindi, English, mathematics and environment studies (covering science and social science). For instance, a student of Class V would be assessed on whether he can pronounce words correctly and write their correct spellings. In Hindi, a student’s ability to read and understand magazines and newspapers would be tested. A student’s participation in debates and quizzes will also be assessed.

According to the Annual Status of Education Report, 2011, 50.5 per cent Class V students cannot read Class II textbooks. In mathematics, just 36.9 per cent of Class V students can solve division problems, implying that the rest cannot solve sums generally taught in Class III. Apart from the assessment of students’ learning ability, teachers would note the date a student receives books, uniforms and scholarships.

An education department official, preferring anonymity, said: “Mentioning the date when a student receives books, uniforms and scholarships would bring transparency in the scheme. In January this year, there were reports of large-scale anomalies in execution of schemes.”

Teachers of government schools have welcomed the new step but have said such steps should not be confined to mere assessment of students but also ensure quality of faculty.

Anil Kumar, a teacher at Rajakiya Madhya Vidhyalaya Pahari, Patna Sadar, said: “Students’ assessment is a good step. But steps should be taken to improve the quality of teachers. Teachers should be trained in new teaching modules.”

Dr S.K. Ganguli, a retired teacher of Patna University, said: “This would not help much in bringing quality education until and unless the state government makes some broad guidelines for quality education.”