Smaller citizens: On the gaps in India’s education system
Despite rising enrolment, gaps in India’s education system are not closing quickly
The pandemic was difficult for India’s youngest citizens, the children, but the true import of its impact is coming to light now. In the Annual Status of Education Report, titled ‘ASER 2023: Beyond Basics’ and released on Wednesday, a survey by civil society organisation Pratham among rural students aged 14 to 18, found that more than half struggled with basic mathematics, a skill they should have mastered in Classes 3 and 4. The household survey, the first field-based one in four years, was conducted in 28 districts across 26 States and assessed the foundational reading and arithmetic abilities of 34,745 students. In other findings, about 25% of this age group cannot read a Class 2 level text in their mother tongue; boys are, however, better in arithmetic and English reading skills than girls. Overall, 86.8% in the 14-18 year age group are enrolled in an educational institution, but there are gaps as they grow older — while 3.9% of 14-year-olds are not in school, the figure climbs to 32.6% for 18-year-olds. Also, for Class 11 and higher, most students opt for Humanities; while girls are less likely to be enrolled in the science stream (28.1%) compared with boys (36.3%), only 5.6% have opted for vocational training or other related courses.