The education dept is set to commence the second phase of its Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) campaign from Jan 19.Following last year’s baseline survey that used artificial intelligence to assess students’ reading skills, the department will now conduct the endline survey from Jan 19 to 23.
The findings will guide the development of targeted remedial measures aimed at improving students’ reading abilities.
As part of the campaign, the department had conducted in April 2025 a baseline assessment in Hindi for around 35 lakh students of classes 3 to 8 via the Shala Darpan Teacher App. Based on the findings, students were grouped from C1 to C4 levels, and the first two periods were dedicated to a 100-day reading remediation programme, Prakhar 2.0. Officials said that under the Prakhar Rajasthan 2.0 campaign, reading activities were continuously conducted in schools during the first two periods in schools to help students develop fluency, pronunciation, and comprehension. “ORF is an effective means of assessing and improving students’ reading abilities. The aim is to teach students to read texts with accurate pronunciation, proper speed, and expression so that students can read fluently, clearly, and with comprehension,” said a senior official from the education dept.The dept is aiming that through this campaign, students not only become good readers but also intelligent and confident learners. “Emphasis is being placed on ORF from the early grades, starting with class 3, so that students can move forward in their education with a strong foundation,” added the official.For the second phase, teachers have been instructed to assess only those students who are present on the day of testing and to ensure that no one else reads in their place. An official order issued by the education dept on Jan 9 stated, “It must be ensured that the recorded voice belongs to the student whose name is selected in the app. If the voice of any other student is recorded, the corresponding assessment data will be considered invalid” .Teachers were also prohibited from correcting mistakes, interfering with reading, or providing any kind of guidance during the assessment process.
