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Education
ASER 2024: Rural India Sees Learning Recovery, Digital Gaps Persist
📝 About ASER
- Conducted by Pratham NGO across 605 rural districts, covering 649,000+ children.
- Started in 2005, it is India’s largest household education survey.
- Tracks school enrolment, foundational skills in reading and arithmetic.
🧑🏫 Enrolment Trends
- Government school enrolment dropped back to 66.8%, similar to pre-pandemic 2018 levels.
- Private school enrolment rose, suggesting changing preferences post-pandemic.
📱 Digital Literacy Snapshot (Ages 14–16)
| Category | % of Children |
|---|---|
| Can use a smartphone | 82.2% |
| Use it for learning activities | 57% |
✳️ Significant gap between access and effective educational usage.
📚 Learning Recovery Highlights
- Class 3: 27.1% can now read at grade level.
- Class 5: 44.8% read at Class 2 level (up from pandemic lows).
- Rebound linked to reforms under National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
📊 School Attendance
| Indicator | 2022 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Student Attendance | 73% | 75.9% |
| Teacher Attendance | – | 87.5% |
🏫 Classroom Dynamics
- Rise in multigrade classrooms.
- Many schools with <60 students enrolled.
🚻 Gender Disparity in Digital Access
| Category | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| Own a smartphone | 36.2% | 26.9% |
⚠️ Highlights the digital divide, especially affecting girls’ education.
📍 State-wise Progress
- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, MP, Tamil Nadu show strong learning recovery.
- Some states surpassed pre-COVID levels, suggesting effective implementation of learning programs.
