In a concerning revelation, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023, titled 'Beyond Basics,' has shed light on educational challenges faced by rural Indian teenagers in the 14-18 age group. Released by the Pratham Foundation, the report exposes significant deficits in foundational literacy and numeracy skills, with 42% of students unable to read basic English sentences and over half struggling with simple division problems.
The ASER 2023 report emphasises that low levels of foundational numeracy impact the ability of youth to handle practical situations, such as measurements, unitary methods, and basic financial computations. The findings stress the need for catch-up programs to support students from standard VIII and higher grades who are academically behind.
Conducted across 28 districts in 26 states, the survey reached out to 34,745 teenagers, focusing on one rural district per major state, except for Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, where only two districts were surveyed. The findings underscore the need for urgent attention to bridge educational gaps among adolescents.
According to the report, 25% of the surveyed teenagers cannot fluently read a class 2 level text in their regional language, and a staggering 50% grapple with division problems expected at the class 3 and 4 level. English proficiency also presents challenges, with only 57.3% able to read sentences in English, and merely 43.3% capable of correctly solving division problems. These foundational skills are crucial not only for academic success but also for practical applications in everyday life.
Females meanwhile, have outperformed males in reading a class 2 level text in their regional language, with 76% success compared to 70.9% among males. However, males exhibit better proficiency in arithmetic and English reading.
The report stresses the need for catch-up efforts among a significant portion of 14-18-year-olds, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's recognition of the need for academic interventions.
The survey also delves into everyday tasks taken up by teenagers, revealing that 45% of students can calculate the hours of sleep based on bedtime and wake-up time. In contrast, 85% can accurately measure the length of an object when placed at the '0' mark on a ruler, however, this proficiency drops to less than 40% when the object is moved.
Furthermore, the study indicated that 65.1% of students were able to read functional instructions on an ORS solution packet.
The report suggests that the NEP 2020's call for 'catch up' programs be implemented to address the educational challenges highlighted by ASER 2023. These efforts aim to help students not only perform better academically but also equip them with essential skills for everyday needs.
ASER, a nationwide citizen-led household survey, has been instrumental in providing insights into the status of children's education in rural India since 2005. Despite shifts to an alternate-year cycle since 2016, the 'basic' ASER survey continues to be a crucial tool for assessing learning levels and guiding policy formulations.
The ASER 2023 report emphasised the persistent need for enhancing foundational literacy and numeracy among rural youth, urging policymakers and educators to prioritize catch-up programs to ensure a brighter future for the country.
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