New Delhi: The latest edition of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) has revealed that more than half of 14- to 18-year-old children in rural India cannot solve a simple three-digit division problem that’s usually taught in Class 3-4. These older children, who will soon be embarking into their journeys as adults, were found to be struggling with everyday skills, including determining time and doing basic calculations, the report released on January 17 shows.Since 2005, NGO Pratham’s Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) has been recording trends in school enrolment, attendance and reading and arithmetic abilities among children aged 6-14 years in rural areas of the country.The recent ASER report, like the one released in 2017, trains its focus on older children, between the age group of 14 and 18, covering four important aspects like their educational and career pathways, their ability to apply foundational skills to daily life situations, their digital access and skills, and their aspirations for future.For the 2023 report, the ASER team conducted surveys in 28 districts across 26 states and reached out to over 34,000 youth in the age group of 14-18 years. The study finds that 86.8% children of the studied age group are enrolled in an educational institution. While there is a small gender gap noticed, the more concerning trend that the report identifies is the notable differences visible by age. While only 3.9% of 14-year-old youth were out of school, the number went up to 32.6% for the 18 year olds. These numbers have, however, improved from the time of pandemic.The study found that a higher percentage of males (40.3%) than females (28%) report doing work other than household work for at least 15 days during the preceding month. And when it is not the household work, the youth are found to be engaged in family farm work.The study also takes a detailed look at the ability to read and comprehend among the surveyed age group. Some of the most concerning findings include: about 25% of 14–18-year-olds still cannot read a Class II level text fluently in their regional language. More than half struggle with division (3-digit by 1-digit) problems, a skill that is usually expected among children of Class III or IV.Since the COVID-19 pandemic, as the world became increasingly reliant on technology, ASER set out to explore the current scenario of digital awareness and ability among rural Indian youth. The study has found that close to 90% of all youth have a smartphone in the household and know how to use it. Of those who can use a smartphone, males (43.7%) are more than twice as likely to have their own smartphone than females (19.8%). Availability of a computer/laptop in the households is much lower, with only 9% having one at home. Youth who have a computer/laptop at home are much more likely to know how to use it (85%) than those who do not (33.9%). Females are less likely to know how to use a smartphone or computer as compared to males.The study, ASER Centre director Wilima Wadhwa says, emphasises the importance of foundational learning and life skills for a reason. “Not just for academic advancement but also to traverse daily life,” Wilima Wadhwa said. “At some level, India is in a unique position right now… For India to become the world’s third largest economy, the quality of our labour force has to keep pace with our developmental needs. We can only reap the demographic dividend associated with a young population if our youth are well supported to achieve their aspirations and participate productively in the growth process of the economy.”In an interview to the Indian Express, Dr Rukmini Banerjee, the CEO of Pratham, says that the majority of respondents in Class 11 or higher were studying humanities-related subjects could possibly be because that is available to the children in the village. “It is possible that someone wants to do science, but their local high school does not have science. But again, there may be other ways to connect to subjects that the local high school does not offer,” she says.
