ASER REPORT, 2024

ASER REPORT, 2024

• ASER 2024 is the 14th nationwide field-based survey that evaluates the status of children’s enrollment and learning outcomes in rural India.
• This survey reached 6,49,491 children in 17,997 villages across 605 rural districts.
• ASER 2024 is the 2nd report released after the COVID-19 pandemic, with the previous one being in 2022. It highlights the recovery of school education from pandemic-related disruptions.

WHAT IS ASER?

• ASER is a nationwide citizen-led household survey on children’s schooling and learning in rural India.
• Conducted by Pratham since 2005, annually until 2014, then biennially since 2016; no survey in 2020 due to the pandemic, resumed in 2022 and 2024.
• It measures basic reading and arithmetic skills, school attendance, and other indicators, influencing government policy.

KEY FEATURES OF THE METHODOLOGY OF ASER

• A household survey covering rural children in India, with a focus on three age groups: under 6, school-going children (6-14), and older children (15-16).
• Randomly selects 30 villages per district and 20 households per village using the 2011 Census frame.
• Conducts one-on-one assessments of basic reading and arithmetic skills for children aged 5-16, with an additional “Beyond Basics” assessment for 14-16-year-olds.
• District-level organizations or institutions partner with ASER for implementation in each district.

KEY FINDINGS

1. Improvement in Learning Outcomes:

• Learning Loss Recovery:
  • The share of children in standards III, V, and VIII who could read a Standard II-level text or perform basic subtraction and division had declined between 2018 and 2022 due to COVID-19 disruptions.
  • By 2024, this share has either recovered to pre-pandemic levels or improved.
  • Arithmetic Skills Improvement:
    • Standard III:
      • 33.7% of children can perform basic subtraction in 2024 (up from 25.9% in 2022).
      • This is higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 28.2% in 2018.
    • Standard V:
      • 30.7% of children can solve a 3-digit by 1-digit division problem (up from 25.6% in 2022).
      • This marks improvement from pre-pandemic rates as well.
  • Reading Skills Improvement:
    • Standard III:
      • 27% of children can read a Standard II-level text in 2024, up from 20.5% in 2022.
    • Standard V:
      • 48.8% of children can read a Standard II-level text in 2024, up from 42.8% in 2022.
    • Government vs. Private Schools:
      • Government Schools:
        • 44.8% of Standard V children can read a Standard II-level text in 2024 (up from 38.5% in 2022).
        • This is nearly at the pre-pandemic level of 44.2% in 2018.
      • Private Schools:
        • 59.3% of Standard V children can read a Standard II-level text in 2024 (up from 56.8% in 2022).
        • However, this still lags behind the pre-pandemic level of 65.1% in 2018.

2. Enrollment Rates:

• Early Childhood Education (Ages 3-5):
  • Enrollment in preschool is near 80% for children aged 3 and 4.
• Primary School (Ages 6-14):
  • Enrollment remains high at 98% in the age group 6-14 years.
• Secondary School (Ages 14-16):
  • The out-of-school percentage for 15-16-year-olds is now 8% or less for both boys and girls.
  • The gender gap is less than 1%.
• Pre-Primary Schools:
  • States with above 90% enrollment for children aged five in pre-primary schools include Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Nagaland.

3. Private vs. Government Schools:

• Private School Enrollment:
  • Enrollment in private schools increased from 25.1% in 2022 to 30.6% in 2024 for children aged 6-14.
  • This rise is likely due to higher income levels in rural areas after the pandemic, leading to an increased preference for private schools.
• Government School Enrollment:
  • A decline in the share of children enrolled in government schools was observed, as more families shifted to private schools.

4. Attendance Rates:

• Student Attendance:
  • Increased from 72.4% in 2018 to 73% in 2022 and further to 75.9% in 2024.
• Teacher Attendance:
  • Increased from 85.1% in 2018 to 86.8% in 2022 and 87.5% in 2024.

5. Digital Access and Skills:

• Smartphone Access:
  • Over 90% of rural adolescents (aged 14-16) have access to a smartphone.
• Digital Skills:
  • 82.2% of children aged 14-16 can use a smartphone.
• Gender Gaps:
  • 36.2% of boys own a smartphone compared to 26.9% of girls.
  • 80.1% of boys can browse the internet for information, while 78.6% of girls can.
• Usage of Digital Devices:
  • 57% of teenagers use smartphones for education-related activities.
  • 76% use smartphones for social media.

6. Improvement in School Facilities:

• Midday Meals, Toilets, Drinking Water, Libraries:
  • Consistent improvements in services such as midday meals, drinking water, usable toilets, and libraries in schools.
  • Usable toilets: 79% of schools had usable toilets in 2024, an increase from 74.2% in 2018.
  • Libraries:5% of schools had no library in 2024, down from 25.8% in 2018.

IMPACT OF NEP

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 prioritizes Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), particularly for primary school children. This has significantly influenced the recovery in learning outcomes.

• NIPUN Bharat Mission (2021):
  • Aimed at improving foundational literacy and numeracy by 2026-27.
  • By Grade 3, every child should be able to:
    • Read with comprehension,
    • Perform basic math operations.
    • Write,
    • Learn life skills.
  • Government Initiatives Under NEP 2020:
    • 83% of schools reported receiving directives to implement FLN activities.
    • 78% of schools had at least one teacher trained in FLN.
    • 75% of schools received relevant learning materials.
    • Three-month “school readiness” programs for incoming first-grade children were conducted in government schools.

These efforts have contributed to the improvements in learning outcomes observed in ASER 2024.

CHALLENGES AS PER ASER

• Learning Gaps:
  • Despite progress, many students still face significant learning challenges:
    • 76.6% of Class III students in government schools cannot read a Class II-level text.
    • 55.2% of Class V students in government schools cannot read a Class II-level text.
  • State Disparities:
    • Significant differences in educational performance across states:
      • For example, reading ability in Standard III in more than half of the states is still behind 2018 levels in 2024.
• Gender Gaps:
  • Digital Divide:
    • Gender gaps are visible in both smartphone ownership and digital skills.
    • 36.2% of boys own smartphones, compared to 26.9% of girls.
    • Similarly, 80.1% of boys are proficient in browsing the internet for information, compared to 78.6% of girls.
• Infrastructure Gaps:
  • Inadequate Infrastructure:
    • 77% of schools have drinking water facilities.
    • 79% of schools have usable toilets.
    • Schools in rural areas continue to face challenges with basic infrastructure.

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