Why is it in the news?

• Pratham NGO releases the ‘Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023: Beyond Basics’.

 More about the news

Enrolment Patterns:

• 8% of 14-18 years-old in rural areas are enrolled in either school or college, indicating a substantial participation in the education system.
• A positive trend is observed, with 84% of youth having completed 8 or more years of schooling, showcasing an improvement from 81% in 2017. This suggests increased access to and continuity in education.
• 4% pursue Humanities, while 31.3% opt for Science beyond Standard X, reflecting diverse academic interests among the youth.
• Only 0.7% reported studying agriculture, indicating a potential gap in the interest or availability of educational opportunities in this domain.

Learning Levels:

• Approximately 25% of this age group still faces challenges in reading a Standard II level text fluently in their regional language, pointing to the need for targeted literacy interventions.
• Females outperform males in reading regional language texts, showcasing a positive trend.
• Males perform better in arithmetic and English reading, indicating variations in subject proficiency based on gender.

Other activities:

• Only 5.6% of youth are currently engaged in vocational training or related courses, emphasizing the potential for expanding skill development opportunities.
• A significant number of youth engaged in activities other than household work tend to work on family farms, highlighting the importance of agriculture as an occupation.
• A high percentage of youth, with 95% of males and 90% of females, possess the knowledge of using smartphones, underlining the widespread digital literacy.
• Males are over twice as likely to own smartphones compared to females, pointing to gender-based disparities in access to technology.
• The marginal 0.2% difference in out-of-school rates between females and males suggests significant progress in closing the gender gap in education access.