<p class="bodytext">The latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), released this week, shows that learning outcomes at the national level have recovered from the losses sustained during the Covid period. The pandemic had badly affected school education with extended shutdowns, lack of digital reach and confusion, and inadequate response from teachers and the families of children. The authorities were also at a loss on how to properly respond to the situation. The academic years of 2020-21 and 2021-22 saw an erosion of gains from the previous years. ASER 2024 brings the good news that the situation in schools has improved. It is remarkable that the progress is led by government schools that have traditionally been slow to catch up. The report notes that the foundational skills of primary and secondary-level school children today are much better than during the pre-Covid times. The report gives much credit for this to the New Education Policy.</p>.Union Budget 2025 | High cost of medical education forces students to pursue studies abroad: Economic Survey.<p class="bodytext">The proportion of children in Class 3 able to do at least subtraction rose from 25.4% in 2014 to 28.2% in 2018 and then fell to 25.9% in 2022. This has gone up to 33.7% in 2024, which is the highest for the last decade. Literacy levels have also improved. The number of Class 3 children who can read a Class 2 textbook in government schools has gone up to 23.4% from 16.3% in 2022. While there have been improvements in learning levels across all age categories, the gains are the highest in the primary section. Government schools led the recovery, but private schools are yet to reach their pre-pandemic levels. If it sustains, this reflects a good trend. Many government schools are in rural areas and have more students than private schools. One remarkable point is that Uttar Pradesh which has always lagged behind the rest has shown good improvement on all educational parameters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">For the first time, ASER included in the survey a section on digital literary access, ownership and use of smartphones, and basic digital skills among children in the 14-16 age group. It found that 85% of boys and 79% of girls reported knowing how to use a smartphone. The awareness of basic ways of protecting themselves online was also high. While these are all positives, the survey shows there is much more to be achieved. The improvement is only relative and there are serious gaps. Over 50% of Class 5 children could not read a Class 2-level text. There should be improvement across the board for all age groups and the report is a pointer to those challenges.</p>
<p class="bodytext">The latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), released this week, shows that learning outcomes at the national level have recovered from the losses sustained during the Covid period. The pandemic had badly affected school education with extended shutdowns, lack of digital reach and confusion, and inadequate response from teachers and the families of children. The authorities were also at a loss on how to properly respond to the situation. The academic years of 2020-21 and 2021-22 saw an erosion of gains from the previous years. ASER 2024 brings the good news that the situation in schools has improved. It is remarkable that the progress is led by government schools that have traditionally been slow to catch up. The report notes that the foundational skills of primary and secondary-level school children today are much better than during the pre-Covid times. The report gives much credit for this to the New Education Policy.</p>.Union Budget 2025 | High cost of medical education forces students to pursue studies abroad: Economic Survey.<p class="bodytext">The proportion of children in Class 3 able to do at least subtraction rose from 25.4% in 2014 to 28.2% in 2018 and then fell to 25.9% in 2022. This has gone up to 33.7% in 2024, which is the highest for the last decade. Literacy levels have also improved. The number of Class 3 children who can read a Class 2 textbook in government schools has gone up to 23.4% from 16.3% in 2022. While there have been improvements in learning levels across all age categories, the gains are the highest in the primary section. Government schools led the recovery, but private schools are yet to reach their pre-pandemic levels. If it sustains, this reflects a good trend. Many government schools are in rural areas and have more students than private schools. One remarkable point is that Uttar Pradesh which has always lagged behind the rest has shown good improvement on all educational parameters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">For the first time, ASER included in the survey a section on digital literary access, ownership and use of smartphones, and basic digital skills among children in the 14-16 age group. It found that 85% of boys and 79% of girls reported knowing how to use a smartphone. The awareness of basic ways of protecting themselves online was also high. While these are all positives, the survey shows there is much more to be achieved. The improvement is only relative and there are serious gaps. Over 50% of Class 5 children could not read a Class 2-level text. There should be improvement across the board for all age groups and the report is a pointer to those challenges.</p>
