Bhubaneswar: Class-8 students in the State are struggling to grasp basic arithmetic operations like subtraction and division. School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond in the Assembly revealed the concerning trend in Odisha’s education system.
Citing the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), Minister Gond stated that only 69.5% of Class 8 students in Odisha schools can perform subtraction, while a mere 48.5% can do division. This is marginally higher than the national average, which stands at 68.5% for subtraction and 45.8% for division.
The Minister said that the number of Class 8 students proficient in subtraction and division has increased by 6% and 11%, respectively, over the last decade. Odisha’s students have also surpassed the national average in these subjects, as per the ASER report for 2024.
Minister Gond disclosed that 12,484 headmaster posts (level-III) are currently vacant in upper primary schools across Odisha.
