CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu state report on the Teaching Learning Practices Survey (TLPS) 2025, a study aimed at strengthening teaching and learning practices in basic literacy and numeracy, was launched here on Friday (July 17). The report provides state-specific evidence on teaching-learning practices in classes 1 and 2.
The findings reflect encouraging progress across several aspects of classroom practice.
Almost all observed teachers reported planning lessons and maintaining documented lesson plans, while classrooms widely used print-rich learning environments and structured teaching-learning materials to support learning.
The survey found strong teacher preparedness, with 94% of teachers aware of foundational literacy and numeracy goals, nearly 98% having participated in recent in-person basic literacy and numeracy training.
It also offers practical recommendations to strengthen classroom teaching practices and support systems that enable sustained improvements in foundational learning.
The launch also featured a panel discussion titled, ‘Strengthening classroom practices through the teaching learning practices survey’.
Teachers are central to change, and we must also support them with adequate staffing, time and resources. TLPS gives us evidence to ask better questions and strengthen classrooms so every child can fully realise their potentialPA Naresh, director, Directorate of Elementary Education
Bringing together perspectives from government, education practice, research and governance, the discussion examined how the survey findings could inform TN’s foundational learning programmes by strengthening classroom practices and teacher support systems.
The session also reinforced the importance of evidence and sustained collaboration in ensuring that every child develops strong foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
Meanwhile, PA Naresh, director, Directorate of Elementary Education, highlighted the importance of using evidence from classrooms to strengthen foundational learning outcomes. “With 35,000 schools, 27 lakh students and many multi-grade classrooms, we cannot take children’s learning experiences for granted.
Our access and retention indicators are strong, yet there is scope in learning outcomes, teacher vacancies and individual student engagement. Teachers are central to change, and we must also support them with adequate staffing, time and resources.
TLPS gives us evidence to ask better questions and strengthen classrooms so every child can fully realise their potential,” said Naresh.
Some of the findings of the study are: 60% of the total survey students looked comfortable in the classroom and spoke freely, but only 18% of teachers consistently gave children wait time to respond.
In the teaching process of mathematics, 35% of kids used real-life examples to explain concepts.
However, under the need for strengthening, it was studied that only 28% of classrooms asked why and how questions at all, while 39% of classrooms gave children independent practice tasks.
TLPS further observed that there was a strong foundation in level-based, action-oriented lesson planning, structured teaching-learning resources, teacher training, positive classroom climate, and high awareness of the BLN mission. On the other hand, room for improvement was stressed in classroom discourse and questioning, independent reading and writing, mathematical reasoning, and responsive, level-based teaching.
TLPS 2025 provides systematic, national-level evidence on teaching practices for language and mathematics in Grades 1 and 2.
The survey was conducted between November 2024 and March 2025 in nine states such as Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, TN, and Uttar Pradesh, covering 21 districts and 1,050 classrooms. The study provides a national-level snapshot of the current teaching and learning practices for foundational literacy and numeracy.