ASER’s 2023 survey

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023 “Beyond Basics” was recently released by NGO Pratham Foundation shedding light on the educational landscape of rural India.

About the ASER survey:

• TheASER survey is a citizen-led survey that provides reliable estimates of children’s schooling and learning levels in rural India. 
• Earlier conducted annually, it is now conducted every alternate year.
• The ‘basic’ ASER collects information about enrolment in pre-school and school for children in the age group of 3 to 16, and assesses children aged 5 to 16 one-on-ones to understand their foundational reading and arithmetic abilities.
• It tracks the overall literacy rate and breaks down literacy rates by age groups, gender, and regions.
• It discusses the proficiency of students in basic numeracy skills and identifies areas or regions where numeracy levels are particularly high or low.
• It examines gender-based differences in education outcomes.
• It looks into the availability of infrastructure and facilities in schools.
• It highlights variations in educational indicators across different states or regions.

About the ASER’s 2023 survey “Beyond Basics”:

• The ASER’s 2023 survey “Beyond Basics” has examined 34,745 youth in 28 rural districts across 26 states, with a focus on 14-18 age group of students.
• Released in New Delhi, titled “Beyond Basics.”
• The report explores the activities, academic abilities, and access to digital technology of 14-18 age group of students.

Key highlights of the survey:

Education Landscape:

• About 86.8% of 14-18-year-olds have enrolled in educational institutions.
• Enrollment gaps: 3.9% for 14-year-olds, 32.6% for 18-year-olds.
• Only 5.6% engage in vocational training, with the most opting for short-duration courses.

Academic Proficiency:

• 25% students struggle to read a Std II-level text fluently in their regional language.
• Girls have outperformed boys in reading (76% vs. 70.9%).

Digital Access and Usage:

• 90% of youth have smartphones, where 95% of boys and 90% of girls have access to the smartphones.
• Males are more likely to own a smartphone (43.7%) as compared to females (19.8%).
• Digital tasks performance improves with education level and basic reading proficiency.

Work and Aspirations:

• 30% of youth are working, often for parents, but express aspirations beyond current roles.
• Majority in Class 11 or higher opt for humanities, reflecting local availability of subjects.
• Need for flexibility in education, aligning with the New Education Policy of 2020.

Key recommendations by the survey:

• Address reading and math gaps in the 14-18 age group.
• Leverage the reach of schools to implement varied learning approaches.
• Advocate for more flexible education systems, aligning with the New Education Policy.
• Beyond the Right to Education Act, understanding youth pathways after elementary school is crucial for their future success.
• National Youth Policy 2021 envisions unlocking youth potential across education, employment, entrepreneurship, leadership, health, and social justice and hence initiatives in this direction will help enhance the education based outcomes.
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Ref: Source