Dip in Math performance, drop in reading abilities and dip in pupil-teacher ratio
IndiGlobal Bureau
The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) released by Non-governmental organization ‘Pratham’ revealed that the state of the Indian education system has not changed much from the last time the report was released in 2018. The only silver lining has been the rise in enrollment of students in government schools. The latest report is based on a sample of 7 lakh candidates from 616 districts from 19,060 schools to calculate the learning outcomes post-pandemic period.
According to the report, there has been a significant rise in enrollment levels. From 97.2 per cent in 2018 to 98.4 per cent in 2022, the Indian education sector has seen a rise of 7.3 percentage points in enrollment in government schools between 2018 and 2022. The report also revealed a rise of tuition goers in all states except Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura.
In 2018, 28.1 per cent of class III students knew subtraction, while 31.1 per cent of class V students and 41.4 per cent of class VIII students knew division. But the 2022 survey revealed an alarming decline in the students’ math performances. In 2022, 18.5 per cent of Class III students knew how to subtract while only 20.1 per cent of Class V and a meager 38.1 per cent of Class VIII students knew division.
The number of schools having computers declined from 45.5 per cent in 2018 to just 34 per cent in 2022. Households with cell phones increased from 67.5 per cent in 2018 to 95.1 per cent in 2022.
The survey also shows a significant decline in students’ reading capacity (proficiency in reading a class II-level textbook) among school children. 26.6 per cent of students studying in Class III in 2022 could read Class II textbooks, which in 2018 was 44.2 per cent. The ability to read class II textbooks by class V students declined by 9.5 per cent. From 66 per cent in 2018 it dropped to 55.5 per cent in 2022. In 2018, 79.4 per cent of class VIII students could read Class II books, which in 2022 dropped to 76.9 cents.
In 2018, the all-India enrollment figure for the age group 6 to 14 was 97.2 per cent. The 2022 data shows that this number has increased to 98.4 per cent. The report also shows the trends in enrollment as per gender. “For boys, the shift to government schools has been from 61.6 per cent (2018) to 69.2 per cent (2022) and for girls, the proportion enrolled in government school grew from 68.4 per cent (2018) to 74.1 per cent (2022).
According to the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), between 2020 and 2021, 83.35 lac students enrolled in government schools, while private schools saw a dip in enrollment by 68.85 lacs.
The teacher-to-student ratio or pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) in government schools has also seen a sharp decline in the last four years. From 87 per cent in 2018 it has declined to 81 per cent in 2022.
