ASER Survey – Disruption in Learning and its Revival

Editorial of the Day: ASER Survey – Disruption in Learning and its Revival

Based on the reports of ASER Survey, the author writes about impact of the pandemic on the education sector, resulting in learning loss associated with long school closures, and higher dropout rates.

Table of Contents

Exam View: Annual Status of Education Report, Parameters of ASER Report, learning gap, higher dropout ratio and Major issue related to learning.

Context of the Editorial: Based on the reports of ASER Survey, the author writes about impact of the pandemic on the education sector, resulting in learning loss associated with long school closures, and higher dropout rates.

Background: Findings of the ASER Report

Increasing Enrolment in School: Despite the prolonged closure of schools, the overall enrolment in schools across the country has increased at all levels.
- The proportion of children (age 6 to 14) enrolled in government schools increased sharply from 65.6% in 2018 to 72.9% in 2022.
Learning Gap: The basic reading ability of children in age group 5–16-year-olds enrolled in both government and private schools across the country have sharply dropped amid Covid-19 pandemic.
- The percentage of class third students and class 5^th students in government and private schools who can read at class second level and at least class 2-level respectively fell down.
Improvement in School Facilities: Increase in the average teacher attendance, distribution of the textbook in schools, increase in the separate girl’s toilet at school and increase in the drinking water facilities in the schools.

Author’s Opinion on the Findings of the Report

Foundational competency: National Education Policy (NEP) gives importance to foundational competencies. All states have made a major push in the area of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) under the NIPUN Bharat mission (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy).
- In ASER report 81 per cent schools responded that they had received directive related to Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.

Conclusion

New Education Policy has set clear Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) goals for the entire country, and states can find different pathways to achieve these goals.
While there have been learning losses, there has also been recovery once the schools reopened. Accounting for all the interim measurements, ASER 2022 estimates tell a story of recovery rather than one of loss.

FAQs

Based on the reports of ASER Survey, the author writes about impact of the pandemic on which sector?

Based on the reports of ASER Survey, the author writes about impact of the pandemic on the education sector, resulting in learning loss associated with long school closures, and higher dropout rates.