ASER Report 2024 Part - 02

ASER Report 2024 Part - 02

(இதன் தமிழ் வடிவத்திற்கு இங்கே சொடுக்கவும்)

• School Observations
• As part of the ASER survey, one government school with primary sections is visited in each sampled village.
• If there is more than one government school in the village, then the school with the highest enrolment in primary sections is chosen.
• In 2024, ASER surveyors visited 15,728 government schools with primary sections.
• Among them, 8,504 were primary schools, and 7,224 were schools that also had upper primary or higher grades.
• Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) Activities
• Over 80% of schools had received a directive from the government to implement FLN activities with Std I-II/III, both in the previous as well as in the current academic year.
• A similar proportion had at least one teacher who had received in-person training on FLN.
• More than 75% of schools had received Teaching Learning Material (TLM) and/or funds to make or purchase TLM for FLN activities.
• More than 75% of schools reported implementing a school readiness program for students prior to entering Std I, in both the previous and the current academic year.
• More than 95% of schools reported having distributed textbooks to all grades in the school, a substantial increase over 2022 levels.

• Student and Teacher Attendance
• Student and teacher attendance in government primary schools shows small but consistent improvements since 2018.
• Average student attendance increased from 72.4% in 2018 to 73% in 2022 to 75.9% in 2024.
• Average teacher attendance increased from 85.1% in 2018 to 86.8% in 2022 to 87.5% in 2024.
• This trend is largely driven by changes in teacher and student attendance in Uttar Pradesh.

• Small Schools and Multigrade Classrooms
• The proportion of government primary schools with less than 60 students enrolled shows a sharp increase, rising from 44% in 2022 to 52.1% in 2024.
• More than 80% of primary schools in these states are small schools: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, and Karnataka.
• Himachal Pradesh has the highest proportion of small upper primary schools at 75%.
• Two-thirds of Std I and Std II classrooms in primary schools were multigrade, with students from more than one grade sitting together.

• School Facilities
• Nationally, all Right to Education-related indicators included in ASER have shown small improvements between 2018, 2022, and 2024 levels.
• The fraction of schools with usable girls’ toilets increased from 66.4% in 2018 to 68.4% in 2022 to 72% in 2024.
• The proportion of schools with drinking water available increased from 74.8% to 76.1% to 77.7% over the same period.
• The proportion of schools with books other than textbooks being used by students increased from 36.9% to 43.9% to 51.3%.
• These improvements in school infrastructure can be seen across all states, but schools in Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland continue to lag behind in these facilities.

• Sports-Related Indicators
• Sports-related indicators remain close to the levels observed in 2018.
• In 2024, 66.2% of schools have a playground, similar to 68.9% in 2022 and 66.5% in 2018.

• Tamil Nadu’s Status in ASER 2024 Report:
• The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 has highlighted a severe learning crisis among students in Tamil Nadu.
• The findings raise concerns over foundational literacy and numeracy skills, contradicting claims made about the effectiveness of the Dravidian Model of Education.
• ASER 2024: Tamil Nadu Shows Progress in Education, But Gaps Remain
• The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 has highlighted improvements in reading and arithmetic skills among school children in Tamil Nadu from Classes 1 to 8 since the COVID-19 pandemic.
• However, learning outcomes continue to show concerning trends.
• Literacy Gaps
• Tamil Nadu Students Struggle with Basic Tamil Reading
• Class 5 Students: 64.4% of Class 5 students in Tamil Nadu cannot read a simple Class 2-level text in Tamil.
• Class 3 Students:
• 8.6% cannot even recognize letters.
• 18.2% can read letters but not words.
• 36.3% can read words but not Class 1-level text.
• 24.8% can read Class 1-level text but not Class 2-level text.
• 88% of Class 3 students cannot read a Class 2-level text.

• Government Schools vs. Private Schools:
• 86.8% of government school Class 3 students cannot read a Class 2-level text.
• 90% of private school Class 3 students also fail to read at Class 2 level.
• 63% of government school Class 5 students cannot read a simple Class 2 text, compared to 32.3% of private school students.
• By Class 8, only 62.2% of government and 70.8% of private school students can read at Class 2 level.

• National Comparison:
• Tamil Nadu was among the few states showing a 10%+ improvement in Class 5 reading levels, alongside Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.
• Gender Disparity in Reading Skills
• Class 5: 40% of girls could read a Class 2-level text compared to 31.2% of boys.
• Class 8: 68.9% of girls demonstrated reading proficiency, while only 59% of boys did.

• Mathematical Skills in Decline
• Basic Arithmetic Challenges
• Class 8 Students:
• 60% cannot solve a basic division problem.
• 67.3% cannot even perform simple subtraction.
• Class 3 Students:
• 80% struggle with basic subtraction.
• Government vs. Private Schools:
• Only 27.6% of government and 28.2% of private school Class 3 students can subtract successfully.
• In Class 8, only 37.8% of government and 46.8% of private school students can solve a basic division problem.

• Declining Performance Over Time
• Declining School Enrolment Rates
• Enrolment rates have declined since 2022, which has reflecting national trends.
• Classes 1 to 5:
• Boys' enrolment dropped from 71.1% (2022) to 62.2% (2024).
• Girls' enrolment declined from 75.4% to 67%.
• Classes 6 to 8:
• Boys' enrolment fell from 76.2% (2022) to 71.3% (2024).
• Girls' enrolment dropped from 80.8% to 75.3%.

• National Trends in Enrolment (2022 vs. 2024)
• Classes 1 to 5:
• Boys' enrolment declined from 71.7% in 2022 to 64.1% in 2024.
• Girls' enrolment fell from 77% in 2022 to 70.7% in 2024.
• Classes 6 to 8:
• Boys' enrolment dropped from 72.9% in 2022 to 67.2% in 2024.
• Girls' enrolment decreased from 77.7% in 2022 to 73.9% in 2024.
• The percentage of Class 8 students capable of performing division has steadily declined since 2014.
• The ASER 2024 findings reveal a decade-long downturn in foundational learning levels in Tamil Nadu.

• Digital Literacy on the Rise
• Despite declining enrolment, digital literacy has significantly improved.
• Access to Smartphones:
• 88.3% of government school students had access in 2024, up from 83.9% in 2022 and 38% in 2018.

• Smartphone Usage Among Different Age Groups:
• Setting an Alarm: 84.7% of 14-year-olds, 85.9% of 15-year-olds, and 89.5% of 16-year-olds could set an alarm on a smartphone.
• Browsing the Internet for General Knowledge Questions: 77.7% of 14-year-olds, 80.5% of 15-year-olds, and 85.7% of 16-year-olds could use the internet to find answers.
• YouTube Video Search Proficiency: 88% of 14-year-olds, 89% of 15-year-olds, and 92.3% of 16-year-olds could successfully search for videos.
• Sharing Videos on YouTube: 95.2% of 14-year-olds and 97% of 16-year-olds could share videos on the platform.
• ASER 2024 highlights Tamil Nadu’s progress in reading and arithmetic skills, with some recovery post-pandemic.

• However, learning levels remain below pre-2018 levels, particularly in arithmetic.
• The gender gap in reading skills remains notable, with girls outperforming boys.
• School enrolment rates have declined, reflecting a broader national trend, but digital literacy has significantly improved.
• Addressing these challenges through targeted interventions will be crucial in ensuring sustained educational growth in the state.

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