Assessment of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Competency among Tribal Primary School Learners of Sadar Block of Keonjhar District

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@article{1719847,
      author = {Namitarani Patra, Dr. Parshuram Sahoo},
      title = {Assessment of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Competency among Tribal Primary School Learners of Sadar Block of Keonjhar District},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2026},
      volume = {10},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1877-1886},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1719847.pdf},
      abstract = {Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) form the basis of children's lifelong learning and academic achievement. Ensuring that every child acquires basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills during the early years of schooling has become a national priority under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the NIPUN Bharat Mission, Government of India, 2020. However, tribal learners continue to face multiple educational challenges due to socio-economic disadvantage, language barriers, inadequate learning resources, and limited parental support, creating a significant research gap at the district level, particularly in Keonjhar District, Odisha. The present study aimed to assess the foundational literacy competencies, assess the foundational numeracy competencies, and compare these competencies among tribal learners studying in government and private schools. A quantitative descriptive survey design was adopted. The study included 150 tribal learners selected through stratified random sampling from 10 primary schools (five government and five private) in Sadar block of Keonjhar District. Data were collected using a researcher-developed Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Tool. Percentage analysis was used to assess literacy and numeracy competency levels, while an independent-samples t-test was employed to compare government and private school learners. The findings revealed that tribal learners demonstrated a satisfactory level of foundational literacy (M = 11.75) and numeracy (M = 12.08) competencies. Private school learners performed better than government school learners in both literacy and numeracy competencies. The study concludes that strengthening competency-based pedagogy, multilingual teaching practices, teacher professional development, and effective implementation of the National Education Policy (2020) and the NIPUN Bharat Mission can significantly enhance foundational learning among tribal learners. The findings provide useful evidence for educators, policymakers, and school administrators to improve the quality of foundational education in tribal areas.},
      keywords = {Foundational Literacy, Foundational Numeracy, Tribal Learners, Government Schools, Private Schools, Keonjhar District},
      month = {July},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719847}
  }