For the first time, the proportion of children who are not enrolled in school falls below three percent, according to ASER (Rural) 2018 report
In India, 50 percent of all boys in the age group 14 to 16 can correctly solve a division problem as compared to 44 percent of all girls, reveals the 13th ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) (Rural) 2018. The nation-wide household survey provides a snapshot of children’s schooling and learning for a representative sample of children across rural India. ASER 2018 reached 596 districts in rural India. A total of 3,54,944 households and 5,46,527 children in the age group 3 to 16 were surveyed.
Following are the major findings of the 2018 survey:
Schooling level
· The proportion of children (age 6-14) who are not enrolled in school has fallen below 3 percent for the first time and stands at 2.8 percent
· All India proportion of girls (age 11-14) out of school is at 4.1 percent, decrease from 10.3 percent in 2006
· The percentage of children (age 6-14) enrolled in private schools was 30.6 percent in 2016 and is almost unchanged at 30.9 percent in 2018
Reading and Maths
· The percentage of all children in Std III who can read Std II level text is 27.2 percent, a an increase from 21.6 percent in 2013.
· The figure for government school children in Std III who are able to do at least subtraction has not changed much, from 20.3 percent in 2016 to 20.9 percent in 2018.
· The proportion of children in Std V across India who are able to do division has inched up slightly, from 26 percent in 2016 to 27.8 percent in 2018.
· All India figure for the proportion of girls (age 14 to 16) who can read at least a Std II level text is very similar to that of boys. Both around 77 percent. However, girls outperform boys in many states like Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
Attendance
States with student attendance of 90 percent or more in primary schools in 2018 were Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Those with teacher attendance of 90 percent or more in 2018 were Jharkhand, Odisha, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
School facilities
The Right to Education Act was implemented in 2010 and the first cohort of students to benefit from its provisions completed 8 years of compulsory schooling in 2018. Nationally, substantial improvements are visible over this 8-year period in the availability of many school facilities mandated by RTE. The fraction of schools with usable girls' toilets doubled, reaching 66.4 percent in 2018. The proportion of schools with boundary walls increased by 13.4 percentage points, standing at 64.4 percent in 2018. The percentage of schools with a kitchen shed increased from 82.1 percent to 91 percent, and the proportion of schools with books other than textbooks available increased from 62.6 percent to 74.2 percent over the same period. However, deficiencies are particularly marked in Jammu and Kashmir and most of the north-eastern states.
Sports facilities
In 2018, about 8 out of 10 schools had a playground available for students, either within the school premises or close by. A playground was accessible in more than 90 percent of schools in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Maharashtra. But more than a quarter of all schools in Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand did not have access to a playground.
