Editorial: Bridge learning gaps

Though there are some positive takeaways in the ASER 2024 report, several areas, including gender gap in digital literacy, continue to cause concern

The latest report on the status of school education in rural India offers a mixed bag. While there is an improvement in reading and basic arithmetic skills among students, several areas, including learning gaps, a shift to private schools, and a gender gap in digital literacy, continue to cause concern. The enrolments in government schools, which rose during pandemic years possibly due to financial constraints, have dropped to pre-pandemic levels, signalling a continued lack of faith in the education system. According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024, the government school enrolment for children aged 6-14 dropped from 72.9% in 2022 to 66.8% in 2024. This indicates a shift towards private education. The annual report is based on a rural household survey that reached nearly 6.50 lakh children in 17,997 villages across 605 rural districts in the country. For the first time, the survey report carries a special section on digital literacy, targeting children in the 14-16 age group. This section covers self-reported data on smartphone access, ownership and usage, along with a one-on-one assessment of basic digital skills. This reveals a gender gap in digital usage. Nearly 90% of both boys and girls who participated in the study said they have a smartphone at home, and about 82.2% said they knew how to use one. However there is a greater gender gap in smartphone ownership, with 36.2% of boys and 26.9% of girls reporting owning one, a gap that is found consistent across the States. Interestingly, only 57% of children use smartphones for educational purposes.

The ASER 2024 report reveals that boys in the targeted age group demonstrate a higher level of awareness about cybersecurity and digital skills than girls. Among children who used social media, knowledge of basic online safety measures was notably high — 62% knew how to block or report a profile and 55.2% knew how to make a profile private. Boys showed significantly higher awareness of these safety features than girls, with the gap evident across most States. The learning gaps continue to be a cause for concern. It was found that many students in grades 3 and 5 struggle with basic reading and mathematics. Only 76% of class 3 students and 55.2% of class 5 students could read at a class 2 level. Only 45.8% of class 8 students could perform basic arithmetic. And, 42% of rural students struggle with easy English. Shortage of teaching staff, lack of basic amenities and poor quality of teaching have been the bane of the education system, particularly in rural areas. However, there are some positive takeaways in the report. Both student and teacher attendance in government primary schools have shown small but consistent improvements since 2018. Average student attendance rose from 72.4% in 2018 to 75.9% in 2024. Similarly, average teacher attendance increased from 85.1% in 2018 to 87.5% in 2024.

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