Mixed tidings from education report

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) for 2023, prepared by educational NGO Pratham, has brought mixed fare about children’s schooling and learning outcomes in rural India. The report, titled ‘Beyond Basics’, carried out in 28 rural districts in 26 states, was focused on children in the 14-18 age group, and it brings the good news that ‘’more children in India have more years of schooling than ever before.’’ That shows that the disruptions and the economic distress caused by the Covid pandemic did not stop children from attending school.

About 86.8 per cent of the children in rural areas are enrolled in schools and this is a major achievement. The trend of increasing enrolment needs to be maintained and the goal should be 100 per cent enrolment. The report also shows that 95 per cent of the surveyed households had smart phones and most could use them, with men having a slight edge over women. This could be turned into a good educational tool. The National Education Policy (NEP) has envisaged the use of digital technologies to promote education at all levels.

But the report also presents the negative side of school education in terms of its quality and leaning outcomes. It shows that most children do not have the basic skills expected their age group. Children in the 14-18 age group were unable to match the abilities expected of students of Classes II or III. About 25% of the children could not fluently read any text in their language. Over half of them failed to do simple division exercises and more than 42% could not read simple sentences in English.

The report also found that many of the children, especially girls, have to work in the family and on farms. This puts pressure on the children and certainly affects their attendance in schools.

The report suggests that there should be reforms in the contents and processes to lighten the pressure on such students. It is important to focus on technical and vocational education from the school level onwards so that children are equipped with skills that are needed in a growing economy.

There were only 6% students among those surveyed doing any vocational course. Young persons who leave schools and colleges without basic knowledge and skills will not only be unemployed but also unemployable. A large mass of such young persons will turn the expected demographic dividend into a demographic burden. The availability of a skilled and trained work force was an important factor in China’s economic success. All reports about the state of our education have underlined this factor and this should get the highest priority.