Teacher's GK: Education Institutions, AP School Programmes and Curriculum Facts · Chapter 7

National and International Education Indices and Surveys (ASER, UDISE+, PGI)

What to remember

ASER is a citizen-led household survey by Pratham that checks whether rural children can really read and do simple arithmetic. UDISE+ is the official school-data system of the Ministry of Education. PGI is the official grading index that scores States and Union Territories on school education.
Enrolment is not learning. UDISE+ counts schools, teachers and students; ASER and NAS/PARAKH check what children can actually do. A teacher must know which tool measures what.
International studies (PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS) compare countries by age or grade; UNDP, UNESCO and the World Bank publish education indices and reports used in exams.

Why indices and surveys matter

Education planners need numbers to decide where to spend money. Teachers need numbers to know where children are weak. Three kinds of data are used.

1. Administrative data: counted from schools every year (UDISE+).
2. Learning surveys: test a sample of children (ASER, NAS, PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan).
3. Performance indices: combine many indicators into one score or grade for a State (PGI).

A good teacher reads all three. Administrative data tells how many children are in school. Learning surveys tell how much they learn. An index tells how well the system is run.

ASER (Annual Status of Education Report)

Run by the ASER Centre, the research wing of Pratham, a non-government organisation.
It is a household survey, not a school survey. Trained volunteers visit homes in sample villages in rural districts. The idea is to reach children who are out of school or in any type of school.
Children are tested one by one, orally, in their own home. The tasks are simple and are meant to be done by a child of Class 2 level.
Reading tasks (in the child's language): recognise letters, read common words, read a short paragraph (Class 1 level), read a short story (Class 2 level).
Arithmetic tasks: recognise numbers 1-9, recognise numbers 10-99, do a two-digit subtraction with borrowing, do a division of a three-digit number by a one-digit number.
An English reading test (words and sentences) is also done in selected rounds.
The key finding that made ASER famous: many children in upper primary classes cannot read a Class 2 text or do a simple subtraction. This is the idea of a learning crisis.
ASER also reports on school facilities and children's access to digital devices in some rounds.
ASER is not a government test. It does not rank schools. It gives a district-wise and State-wise picture of basic skills.

UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education Plus)

It is the official database of the Ministry of Education (Department of School Education and Literacy).
UDISE began as a merger of the earlier DISE (elementary schools) and the secondary-school data system. The "Plus" version is an online, real-time system introduced a few years later. Each school enters its own data through a web portal or app.
It covers all recognised schools, from pre-primary and primary to Class 12, whether government, aided or private.
Data collected: number of schools, school management type, enrolment by class, gender and social category, teachers and their qualifications, classrooms, toilets, drinking water, electricity, libraries, computers, and children with special needs.
Each school and each child gets a unique code. The system now moves towards student-wise data (a child-level record that follows the student).
Indicators computed from UDISE+ data:

Indicator	Meaning	Remember
GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio)	All students in a level, whatever their age, as a share of the official age group	Can be above 100
NER (Net Enrolment Ratio)	Only students of the official age in that level, as a share of that age group	Never above 100
GPI (Gender Parity Index)	Girls' ratio divided by boys' ratio	1 means equal
PTR (Pupil-Teacher Ratio)	Students divided by teachers	RTE norm is 30:1 (primary) and 35:1 (upper primary)
Dropout rate	Share of students who leave before finishing a level	Lower is better
Transition rate	Share moving from one level to the next	Higher is better
Retention rate	Share staying till the end of a level	Higher is better

For a Telugu-medium teacher, the practical point is simple: the head master or school nodal teacher fills UDISE+ data. Wrong data means wrong planning and wrong grants.
UDISE+ is also used to calculate several PGI indicators.

PGI (Performance Grading Index)

Developed by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education. It is meant to show where a State is strong and where it must improve.
It was first released for a year in the late 2010s, and later rounds followed. The latest version is called PGI 2.0 and has a larger set of indicators.
Structure of the original index: 70 indicators, 1000 points, grouped in two categories (Outcomes, and Governance and Management) and five domains.
PGI 2.0: 73 indicators, 1000 points, with a new sixth domain on teacher education and training.
Domains in PGI 2.0:

1. Learning outcomes and quality

2. Access

3. Infrastructure and facilities

4. Equity

5. Governance processes

6. Teacher education and training

States and Union Territories are placed in ten grade bands. The top grade is Daksh and the lowest is Akanshi-3. Between them come Utkarsh, Ati-Uttam, Uttam, Prachesta-1, 2, 3 and Akanshi-1, 2. The names suggest effort and aspiration, so the lowest grade is a call to try harder.
A district version, PGI-D, grades districts in the same spirit.
The index tells States which domain pulls the total score down, so each State can plan its own improvement.

Other national tools a teacher should know

NAS (National Achievement Survey): run by NCERT. It tests a sample of students in Classes 3, 5, 8 and 10 on language, mathematics, EVS or science and social science. It reports the percentage of children who reach the expected learning outcomes. The 2021 round was a large exercise covering districts across the country.
PARAKH: a national assessment centre set up under NEP 2020, inside NCERT. The name stands for Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development. It sets norms for assessment across all boards and runs the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan, which tests children at foundational (Class 3), preparatory (Class 6) and middle (Class 9) stages. The focus is on competencies, not on rote answers.
NIPUN Bharat Mission: launched under Samagra Shiksha to make every child able to read with understanding and do basic numeracy by the end of Class 3. NIPUN stands for National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy.
Census literacy rate: a person aged 7 and above who can read and write with understanding in any language is literate. Kerala has long been the State with the highest literacy rate.
NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework): a Ministry of Education ranking for higher-education institutions in categories such as overall, universities, colleges and engineering.

International education indices and studies

Name	Run by	Who or what is measured	Frequency
PISA	OECD	15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science	Every 3 years
TIMSS	IEA	Mathematics and science, Grades 4 and 8	Every 4 years
PIRLS	IEA	Reading comprehension, Grade 4	Every 5 years
HDI (Human Development Index)	UNDP	Health, education and income; education uses mean and expected years of schooling	Yearly report
Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report	UNESCO	Progress on SDG 4	Periodic reports
Human Capital Index	World Bank	How much human capital a child born today will have	Periodic

PISA: India took part only once, in an early round, with two States. It has not taken part in later rounds. NEP 2020 aims to bring Indian assessment closer to such international standards.
SDG 4 is the global goal on inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all, to be reached by 2030.
Learning poverty: a World Bank idea. It means the share of children at about age 10 who cannot read and understand a short simple text.
Global university rankings such as QS and Times Higher Education are published by private organisations, not by the UN.

ASER, NAS and PGI compared

Feature	ASER	NAS / PARAKH	UDISE+	PGI
Run by	Pratham (NGO)	NCERT (government)	Ministry of Education	Ministry of Education
What it checks	Basic reading and arithmetic	Learning outcomes by class	School facts and enrolment	State-level performance grade
Where	Rural households	Schools (sample)	All recognised schools	States and UTs
Method	One-to-one oral test	Written test on sampled children	Online data entry by schools	Indicators from several sources

Classroom angle

Use ASER-style tasks in your own class: ask each child to read a short text and do a quick subtraction. This tells you who needs remedial help.
Group children by actual level, not by class. This is the idea behind "teaching at the right level."
Competency-based questions (NAS and PARAKH style) test understanding, not memory. Teachers should set such questions in unit tests.
Keep school records accurate. UDISE+ numbers drive teacher posting, grants and school-mapping decisions.

Exam traps

1. ASER vs UDISE+: ASER tests learning, UDISE+ records facts about schools. Do not swap them.
2. ASER is a household survey in rural areas; NAS is a school-based sample test.
3. NAS is by NCERT; ASER is by Pratham; PGI and UDISE+ are by the Ministry of Education.
4. GER can exceed 100; NER cannot.
5. GPI of 1 means parity, not that all girls are enrolled.
6. PGI is a grading of States, not of individual schools.
7. PISA tests 15-year-olds; TIMSS tests Grades 4 and 8; PIRLS tests Grade 4 reading.
8. PISA is run by OECD; TIMSS and PIRLS by IEA.

One-liners

1. ASER stands for Annual Status of Education Report.
2. The ASER Centre is the research wing of Pratham.
3. ASER tests reading and arithmetic at about Class 2 level.
4. UDISE+ stands for Unified District Information System for Education Plus.
5. UDISE+ is an online system in which schools enter their own data.
6. PGI stands for Performance Grading Index.
7. PGI 2.0 has 73 indicators and 1000 points.
8. The top PGI grade is Daksh.
9. NAS is conducted by NCERT for Classes 3, 5, 8 and 10.
10. PARAKH is the national assessment centre under NEP 2020.
11. PISA is conducted by the OECD for 15-year-olds.
12. SDG 4 is the global goal for quality education.

Practice questions

Which organisation conducts the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)?
1. UNESCO
2. Pratham
3. NITI Aayog
4. NCERT
Answer
B. Pratham
ASER is run by the ASER Centre, the research wing of Pratham.
ASER is best described as which type of survey?
1. A household survey of rural children
2. A ranking of State governments
3. A census of all school buildings
4. A written board examination
Answer
A. A household survey of rural children
ASER tests children one by one at home in rural districts.
Which system collects school-wise data on enrolment, teachers and facilities from all recognised schools?
1. ASER
2. NIRF
3. UDISE+
4. PISA
Answer
C. UDISE+
UDISE+ is the online school-data system of the Ministry of Education.
The Performance Grading Index (PGI) grades which entities?
1. States and Union Territories
2. Individual teachers
3. Private coaching centres
4. Universities only
Answer
A. States and Union Territories
PGI scores the school education system of States and UTs.
Which is the highest grade in the Performance Grading Index?
1. Prachesta-1
2. Akanshi-1
3. Utkarsh
4. Daksh
Answer
D. Daksh
Daksh is the top grade; Akanshi-3 is the lowest.
The National Achievement Survey (NAS) is conducted by
1. UGC
2. NCERT
3. Pratham
4. OECD
Answer
B. NCERT
NAS is a sample-based learning survey run by NCERT.
PISA is conducted by which organisation?
1. UNDP
2. World Bank
3. OECD
4. IEA
Answer
C. OECD
PISA is an OECD study; TIMSS and PIRLS are IEA studies.
TIMSS tests mathematics and science at which grades?
1. Grades 10 and 12
2. Grades 4 and 8
3. Grades 6 and 9
4. Grades 3 and 5
Answer
B. Grades 4 and 8
TIMSS covers Grade 4 and Grade 8 and is run by the IEA.
PIRLS measures which skill?
1. Reading comprehension of Grade 4 children
2. Mathematics of 15-year-olds
3. Computer skills of teachers
4. Science of Grade 8 children
Answer
A. Reading comprehension of Grade 4 children
PIRLS is the IEA study of reading in Grade 4.
The National Achievement Survey covers which classes?
1. Classes 4, 7 and 9
2. Classes 11 and 12
3. Classes 1, 2 and 3
4. Classes 3, 5, 8 and 10
Answer
D. Classes 3, 5, 8 and 10
NAS tests learning outcomes in Classes 3, 5, 8 and 10.
PARAKH, the national assessment centre, was set up under
1. RTE Act 2009
2. Samagra Shiksha 2018
3. NEP 2020
4. NPE 1986
Answer
C. NEP 2020
PARAKH follows the National Education Policy 2020.
A Gender Parity Index (GPI) value of 1 means
1. Girls and boys are equally represented
2. Only girls are enrolled
3. Only boys are enrolled
4. Enrolment has doubled
Answer
A. Girls and boys are equally represented
GPI is the ratio of girls' to boys' ratio; 1 shows parity.
NIPUN Bharat Mission aims at foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of which class?
1. Class 1
2. Class 3
3. Class 8
4. Class 5
Answer
B. Class 3
NIPUN Bharat targets every child reading with understanding and basic numeracy by Class 3.
Sustainable Development Goal 4 is related to
1. Zero hunger
2. Climate action
3. Clean energy
4. Quality education
Answer
D. Quality education
SDG 4 is the global goal on inclusive and equitable quality education.
In the Census, a person is called literate if aged at least
1. 5 years and able to sign a name
2. 10 years and having passed Class 5
3. 7 years and able to read and write with understanding
4. 15 years and having a certificate
Answer
C. 7 years and able to read and write with understanding
Literacy is counted from age 7 for those who read and write with understanding.
PGI 2.0 gives a total of how many points?
1. 700
2. 500
3. 1200
4. 1000
Answer
D. 1000
PGI 2.0 has 73 indicators carrying 1000 points.
Which State has long been known for the highest literacy rate in the Census?
1. Odisha
2. Bihar
3. Kerala
4. Rajasthan
Answer
C. Kerala
Kerala tops literacy in the Census; Bihar has been the lowest.
PISA assesses students of which age?
1. 18 years
2. 15 years
3. 10 years
4. 12 years
Answer
B. 15 years
PISA assesses 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science.
A teacher finds that many Class 5 children cannot read a short Class 2 paragraph. Which survey first made this concern widely known?
1. ASER
2. UDISE+
3. PGI
4. NIRF
Answer
A. ASER
ASER's one-to-one reading task revealed the learning gap.
A head master wants to know how many toilets and classrooms are recorded for his school. Which system holds this data?
1. HDI
2. UDISE+
3. ASER
4. TIMSS
Answer
B. UDISE+
Facilities data are entered by schools into UDISE+.
A district records a Gross Enrolment Ratio of 105 per cent at the primary level. What does this indicate?
1. More than half of children are out of school
2. The census was wrong
3. Many over-age or under-age children are enrolled besides the official-age group
4. All girls are enrolled
Answer
C. Many over-age or under-age children are enrolled besides the official-age group
GER counts all students of a level, so it can exceed 100.
Why can the Net Enrolment Ratio never exceed 100 per cent?
1. It counts only girls
2. It counts only government schools
3. It counts only children of the official age group
4. It is calculated from the Census
Answer
C. It counts only children of the official age group
NER includes only official-age students in the age group.
Which domain was added in PGI 2.0 beyond the five original domains?
1. School fees
2. Mid-day meal costs
3. Sports and games
4. Teacher education and training
Answer
D. Teacher education and training
PGI 2.0 added a domain on teacher education and training.
To find each child's actual reading level before planning remedial help, a teacher is best advised to use
1. A one-to-one oral reading task like ASER's
2. A count of school toilets
3. A yearly annual-day function
4. A district ranking list
Answer
A. A one-to-one oral reading task like ASER's
Individual oral tasks show the real level of each child.
Why does ASER visit homes rather than only schools?
1. To include children who are out of school or in any type of school
2. To inspect school buildings
3. To train parents as teachers
4. To conduct board examinations
Answer
A. To include children who are out of school or in any type of school
Household visits reach all children regardless of schooling.
A high dropout rate at the secondary stage shows that
1. Enrolment is above 100 per cent
2. Textbooks are free
3. More teachers are being recruited
4. Many students leave school before finishing the level
Answer
D. Many students leave school before finishing the level
Dropout rate is the share who leave before completing a level.
The World Bank idea of 'learning poverty' refers to children who at about age 10
1. Live in poor households
2. Cannot read and understand a simple text
3. Do not receive mid-day meals
4. Are not enrolled in any school
Answer
B. Cannot read and understand a simple text
Learning poverty is the share unable to read with understanding at about 10 years.
Which pair correctly contrasts a learning survey with an administrative data system?
1. NAS and ASER
2. ASER and UDISE+
3. PGI and NIRF
4. PISA and TIMSS
Answer
B. ASER and UDISE+
ASER tests skills; UDISE+ records school facts.
A teacher groups children by what they can do rather than by class for a few weeks. This practice is called
1. Teaching at the right level
2. Detention
3. Rote revision
4. Grading by rank
Answer
A. Teaching at the right level
It follows the ASER idea of grouping by actual learning level.
A school has 210 students and 7 teachers. Its pupil-teacher ratio is
1. 28:1
2. 40:1
3. 30:1
4. 35:1
Answer
C. 30:1
210 divided by 7 is 30, so PTR is 30:1.
Which indicator compares the enrolment of girls with that of boys?
1. Transition rate
2. Pupil-Teacher Ratio
3. Retention rate
4. Gender Parity Index
Answer
D. Gender Parity Index
GPI measures gender balance.
Consider the following statements: 1. ASER is conducted by Pratham. 2. ASER is a government census of every school. Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
ASER is by an NGO and is a household sample survey, not a school census.
Consider the following statements: 1. UDISE+ covers only government schools. 2. UDISE+ is an online system in which schools enter data. Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
B. 2 only
UDISE+ covers all recognised schools, including aided and private.
Consider the following statements: 1. PGI grades States and Union Territories. 2. PGI grades individual teachers. Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
PGI is a State-level grading index.
Consider the following statements: 1. PISA is conducted by the IEA for Grade 4. 2. PISA is conducted by the OECD for 15-year-olds. Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
B. 2 only
IEA runs TIMSS and PIRLS; the OECD runs PISA.
Consider the following statements: 1. TIMSS is conducted by the IEA. 2. TIMSS tests Grades 4 and 8. Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both are correct.
Consider the following statements: 1. Gross Enrolment Ratio can exceed 100 per cent. 2. Net Enrolment Ratio can exceed 100 per cent. Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
NER counts only official-age students and cannot exceed 100.
Consider the following statements: 1. NAS is conducted by NCERT. 2. NAS includes Class 10. Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
NAS tests Classes 3, 5, 8 and 10 and is run by NCERT.
Consider the following statements: 1. PARAKH has stopped all assessment in schools. 2. PARAKH sets assessment norms under NEP 2020. Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
B. 2 only
PARAKH strengthens, not stops, assessment.
Consider the following statements: 1. NIPUN Bharat targets foundational skills by Class 3. 2. NIPUN Bharat is meant only for secondary students. Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
The mission is for early primary years.
Consider the following statements: 1. The Human Development Index is published by UNDP. 2. Its education component uses mean and expected years of schooling. Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both are correct.
Which pair is correctly matched?
1. TIMSS - OECD
2. UDISE+ - Pratham
3. PISA - IEA
4. ASER - Pratham
Answer
D. ASER - Pratham
ASER is by Pratham; PISA is by OECD; TIMSS by IEA.
Which is NOT a domain of PGI 2.0?
1. Learning outcomes and quality
2. Equity
3. Governance processes
4. Sports medals won
Answer
D. Sports medals won
Sports medals are not a PGI domain.
Which of the following tests Grade 4 reading?
1. PGI
2. PISA
3. TIMSS
4. PIRLS
Answer
D. PIRLS
PIRLS is the IEA reading study for Grade 4; TIMSS covers maths and science.
Which framework ranks higher-education institutions in India under the Ministry of Education?
1. PGI
2. UDISE+
3. ASER
4. NIRF
Answer
D. NIRF
NIRF is the National Institutional Ranking Framework for higher education.

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