ASER 2024 Report

The 14th Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) has been released by the Pratham Foundation, a non-governmental organisation. The 2024 report presents a snapshot of learning outcomes among children in rural areas, showing improvements in basic literacy and arithmetic skills in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Key Findings of ASER 2024

• Improvement in Basic Literacy and Arithmetic
  • Class 3 Students: The percentage of Class 3 children who can perform basic arithmetic, such as subtraction, has risen to 7% in 2024, up from 25.9% in 2022, and 28.2% in 2018 (pre-pandemic).
    • The rise in basic arithmetic skills is more pronounced in government schools, which saw a 7% increase compared to the 4% increase in private schools.
  • Class 5 Students: The percentage of Class 5 students who can read a Class 2-level text increased to 8% in 2024, up from 38.5% in 2022 and close to the 44.2% level in 2018.
    • Private schools showed a slower recovery in literacy levels, with 3% of Class 5 students reading at Class 2 level in 2024, compared to 65.1% in 2018.
  • The government's ambitious NIPUN Bharat Mission (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy), launched in 2021, is expected to be the reason behind this transitional shift.
• Impact of NEP 2020 on Education: The improvements in foundational skills, especially in arithmetic and reading, are attributed to the focus of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 on foundational skills.
• Increased School Enrollment and Attendance
  • Government Schools: There has been a significant increase in enrollment in government schools, reversing the trend of rising enrollment in private schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Student Attendance: The average student attendance in government elementary schools increased from 4% in 2018 to 75.9% in 2024.
  • Teacher Attendance: Teacher attendance also improved, rising from 1% in 2018 to 87.5% in 2024.
• Access to Technology: The report revealed that nearly 90% of teenagers (ages 14-16) in rural areas have access to smartphones, with 2% knowing how to use them. However, there is a gender gap in smartphone ownership, with 36.2% of boys owning smartphones compared to 26.9% of girls.
  • Interestingly, while 76% of teenagers use smartphones for social media, only 57% use them for education-related activities, pointing to a significant gap in the use of technology for educational purposes.
• Multigrade and Small Schools: There has been a notable rise in the prevalence of multigrade classes, where children from different grades are taught together. By 2024, two-thirds of Class 1 and Class 2 classrooms in elementary schools were multigrade.
  • The percentage of government primary schools with fewer than 60 enrolled children rose from 44% in 2022 to 1% in 2024, indicating a rise in smaller schools.
• Pre-Primary School Enrollment
  • States with High Enrollment Rates in Pre-Primary Education: The report highlights that Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Nagaland have shown high enrollment rates (above 90%) for children aged five in pre-primary schools.