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Annual Status of Education Report 2023

Annual Status of Education Report 2023

23-01-2024

Context:

  • The 18th Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) titled ‘Beyond Basics’ based on a survey led by the Pratham Foundation has been released.
  1. ASER is an annual, citizen-led household survey focusing on the education of children in rural India.
  2. Conducted since 2005, it is the largest citizen-led survey in India, providing estimates of enrolment and basic academic levels nationally, state-wise, and district-wise.
  3. The survey targeted rural students aged 14 to 18 in 28 districts across 26 states, assessing the foundational reading and arithmetic abilities of 34,745 students.

Key Highlights

  • Enrolment Rates: Overall, 86.8% of 14-18-year-olds are enrolled in an educational institution. However, there are notable differences visible by age, with 3.9% of 14-year-olds and 32.6% of 18-year-olds not enrolled. 
  1. Majority of students in the 14-18 age group are enrolled in Arts/Humanities streams (55.7% in Class XI or higher).
  2. Gender differences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) enrolment, with fewer females (28.1%) compared to males (36.3%).
  3. Vocational Training: Only 5.6% are taking vocational training. It is more prevalent among college-level students (16.2%). Most youth take for short duration courses of six months or less.
  4. Basic Abilities: About 25% of the youth cannot fluently read a Class II level text in their regional language. Over 50% youth struggle with division problems (3-digit by 1-digit). 
  5. Language and Arithmetic Skills: Females (76%) outperform males (71%) in reading a Standard II level text in regional language. Males excel in arithmetic and English reading. 
  1. Only 57.3% can read sentences in English, and 75% understand their meanings.
  1. Digital Awareness and Skills: Close to 90% of youth have a smartphone. Male (43.7%) are more likely to own smartphone than females (19.8%). Males generally outperform females in digital tasks.
  2. Foundational Numeracy Skills: Over 50% students in the 14-18 age group face difficulties with elementary division problems. Around 45% struggle with tasks like calculating sleep hours based on bedtime and wake-up time.
  1. Inadequate numeracy skills hinder (hamper) proficiency (having skill) in everyday calculations, including budget management, calculating interest rates and applying discounts.
  1. Recommendations for Bridging Educational Gaps: Government efforts are essential to address the gap in foundational literacy and numeracy skills, with a focus on initiatives targeting the 14-18 age group.
  1. National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recognizes the necessity for 'catch-up' programs for students who have fallen behind academically.
  2. Initiatives are needed to improve foundational literacy and numeracy skills among youth, not only for academic performance but also to meet their everyday requirements.
  1. Digital Education: Almost 90% of Indian youth have access to a smartphone in their household, indicating widespread digital connectivity.
  1. Gender Disparities: Significant gender gap in digital literacy, with girls being less likely to know how to use a smartphone or computer compared to boys.
  2. Online Safety Awareness: Boys show more familiarity with online safety settings, highlighting the need for targeted efforts to educate and empower girls in online safety practices.
  3. Smartphone Usage for Education: About two-thirds of youth use smartphones for educational purposes, such as watching online videos related to studies, solving doubts, or exchanging notes.
  4. Connectivity Challenges: Limited connectivity for assessment, with boys more likely to bring smartphones, indicating discrepancies (disparity/difference) in access.
  5. Educational Activities Among Non-Enrolled Youth: 25% of non-enrolled youth engage in educational activities on their smartphones, stressing the role of digital devices in supporting learning outside formal educational settings.

  1. Challenges and Solutions:

Challenges

Solutions

1. School Infrastructure and Amenities: Despite improved retention rates, there are concerns about the availability of basic amenities.

  • While 95% of schools have drinking water and toilets, over 10% lack electricity.
  • Digitization is lacking, with over 60% of schools lacking computers and 90% without internet access.

1. Increased Funding and Resource Allocation: Allocate more funds to education, aiming for the recommended 6% of GDP as per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

  • Prioritize funding for infrastructure development, teacher training, and amenities in schools.
  • Provide schools with computers and internet access.

2. Shift Towards Private Schools: Over the years, there has been a shift towards private schools.

  • There is a decrease in the share of government schools from 87% in 2006 to 62% in March 2020.

2. Addressing Dropout Rates: Identify and address root causes of student dropouts, including socio-economic factors and quality of education.

  • Implement targeted interventions like scholarship programs and mentorship initiatives.
  • Build government schools in remote areas to penetrate education and basic amenities for digital education and promote technology integration.

3. Shortage of teachers, high student-teacher ratio, and dependence on contractual teachers are major issues.

  • Quality divide between well-funded formal schools and under-resourced informal schools.

3. Teacher Recruitment and Training: Recruit and train a sufficient number of qualified teachers to reduce the high student-teacher ratio.

  • Implement continuous professional development programs to enhance teaching quality.

4. Social Divides: Existence of social divides (caste-class, rural-urban, religious, and gender) impacting education quality.

4. Equal Access to Education: Ensure equal access to quality education for all, regardless of socio-economic status, caste, religion, or gender.

  • Conduct sensitization (challenging myths) programs to promote inclusivity and reduce biases among teachers, students, and communities.
  1. Government Initiatives in Education
  1. National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning
  2. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
  3. PRAGYATA
  4. Mid-Day Meal Scheme
  5. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
  6. PM SHRI Schools
  7. National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: Introduces changes to the education system, including the use of mother tongue or local language up to class 5. It emphasizes comprehensive education frameworks and introduces exams at various levels.

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