Page 26 - February EW 2024 PDF

Education News

DELHI in 2017) indicating that learning out-
Dismal picture comes of teens have declined because

schools were shuttered during the
Covid-19 pandemic (2020-21).
More bad news. Over 40 per-
cent (42.7) can’t read a sentence in
English. Moreover while 85 percent
of surveyed youth can measure
length using a scale when the start-
ing point is 0 cm, when the starting
point was moved, only 39 percent
could. Overall, close to 50 percent
senior and higher secondary stu-
dents casually promoted year after
year, can’t manage common tasks
such as calculating time, adding
weights and calculating discounts
and repayments. The possibility of
their being routinely short-changed
and swindled by rural retailers and
moneylenders is huge.
The only silver lining of this
ASER 2023 launch in New Delhi: teens learning outcomes focus unhappy picture is that children
— even rural children in this age
he Annual Status of Educa- in Delhi, again reports on the learn- group — are digitally savvy. Smart-
tion Report (ASER) published ing outcomes of rural teens in the phone penetration into rural India is
Tevery year by the independent 14-18 age group whose learning was enabling India’s youth to self-learn.
not-for-profit Pratham Education severely impacted by the prolonged ASER 2023 reports that almost 90
Foundation (estb.1995) usually field (82 weeks) closure of K-12 education percent of teens have access to a
tests primary school (classes I-VIII) because of the Covid-19 pandemic. smartphone in the household and
children in rural India to measure ASER 2023 ‘Beyond Basics’ ex- know how to use it. Almost all youth
their real learning outcomes. An plores four key domains — academic (90.5 percent) report having used
army of over 1 lakh volunteers — capability, awareness and digital social media in the reference week,
mainly college and university stu- aptitude, and aspirations of a sample including 87.8 percent of girl chil-
dents — test the reading and maths size of 34,745 teens drawn from 28 dren. Two-thirds report having used
capabilities of children in household, districts in 26 major states across the it for some education-related activity
not school/classroom, surveys. country. The survey work began in during the reference week, such as
As such the annual ASER survey March 2023, was completed by July watching online videos related to
has acquired an excellent reputation and the report was prepared in De- academic studies, resolving doubts,
for independent reporting which is cember. The representative sample and exchanging notes.
respected by government and the es- youth was tested in basic reading, “Widespread smartphone owner-
tablishment, including the academy math and English capability; ability ship combined with cheap data
for providing an accurate picture of to do everyday math calculations; presents a huge challenge because
learning outcomes of primary school reading and understanding written of risks of distortion of information.
children in rural India which hosts instructions. But it is also a huge opportunity
60 percent of the country’s 1.4 billion Unsurprising but still shocking, for education of the type that is not
citizens. This, despite ASER painting ASER 2023 confirms that a sizeable offered in schools and colleges.
a dismal picture of children’s learn- proportion of our secondary students For example, there is a great need
ing attainments year after year. do not have basic reading and nu- for sexual and reproductive health
In 2017, the Pratham man- meracy skills. Over 25 percent (26.4) education that can be made available
agement broke with tradition to of teens in the 14-18 age group can’t to males and females through the
examine the learning outcomes of read a class II text in their regional ICDS (Integrated Child Development
a representative batch of teenage language (cf. 23.4 percent in 2017). Scheme) and primary health center
secondary and higher students. In arithmetic, 43.3 percent can’t do channels. Agriculture, or broadly
ASER 2023 released on January 17 a simple division sum (39.5 percent Natural Resource Management, is

26 EDUCATIONWORLD FEBRUARY 2024