ASER 2024 on Early Childhood Education

GS 2 – GOVERNANCE

Context :

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 highlights significant progress in early childhood education across rural India, showing increased preschool enrollment and improvements in foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

About ASER

• Conducted by Pratham Education Foundation, ASER is a large-scale, citizen-led household survey assessing the schooling and learning levels of children in rural India.
• The findings are widely referenced by policymakers in shaping education policies.

The ‘BASIC’ ASER

• Collects data on school and preschool enrollment for children aged 3–16 years.
• Evaluates foundational reading and arithmetic abilities among children aged 5–16 through one-on-one assessments.

Key Findings of ASER 2024

• Preschool Enrollment: 77.4% of rural children aged 3–5 are enrolled in early childhood education programs, including Anganwadis and private LKG/UKG classes.
• Learning Improvements: Notable advancements in reading and arithmetic skills, particularly among students in Classes 1–3.
• Digital Literacy: For the first time, ASER assessed digital skills among 15–16-year-olds, revealing that over 90% of rural adolescents have access to smartphones.

Challenges Identified

• Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE): Despite high preschool enrollment, the quality of education varies, particularly in Anganwadis and pre-primary institutions.
• State Disparities: States like Himachal Pradesh and Punjab emphasize pre-primary education, whereas others depend primarily on Anganwadis.
• Gender Gap in Digital Literacy: Boys outperform girls in digital skills, such as online browsing for information.

Recommendations from ASER 2024

• Enhancing ECCE Quality: Strengthening early education by hiring and training specialized teachers in age-appropriate pedagogy.
• Increased Resource Allocation: Aligning with NEP 2020, prioritizing funding for the recruitment and training of pre-primary teachers.
• Strengthening Anganwadis: Improving the educational component in Anganwadis with additional resources to ensure better learning outcomes.

Government Initiatives

• FLN (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy): A national effort to ensure that all children achieve foundational literacy and numeracy skills by Class 3.
• NIPUN Bharat: Launched in 2021, this initiative aims to enhance reading comprehension and numeracy skills in early grades.