Over 25% of rural children aged 14 to 18 are illiterate, and the majority struggle with Class 3 math. ASER 2023

Over 25% of rural children aged 14 to 18 are illiterate, and the majority struggle with Class 3 math. ASER 2023
The 2023 research shows that even after advancing to senior classes like standard 10 and the upper secondary levels of school (Classes 11 and 12), students in India still struggle with fundamental reading and math skills far into their teenage years.

The most recent edition of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), which was released on Wednesday, reveals that over half of 14 to 18-year-old children in rural India struggle with everyday skills like telling time and performing simple math calculations, and they are unable to solve a basic three-digit division problem that is typically taught in Class 3–4.

The results indicate that teenagers, many of whom are only a few years away from entering the workforce, have a severe skill gap.

Even after completing Class 10 and higher secondary levels of schooling (Classes 11 and 12), children in India still struggle with fundamental reading and math skills far into their teenage years, according to the 2023 research.

When asked to measure an object with a ruler in a different common job, 85% of the respondents could accurately determine the object’s length if it was put at the “0” mark on the ruler. However, fewer than 40% of respondents were able to correctly identify the location of the object on the ruler when it was shifted. The majority of respondents (65.1%) could read the functional instructions on an ORS solution packet.

Boys outperformed girls on the majority of tasks that assess the application of fundamental reading and numeracy skills. For example, only 41.8% of girls in the 14–18 age group could perform at least division, compared to 45% of boys. Furthermore, just 41.1% of girls calculated time in a given scenario, compared to 50.5% of boys.

Even while young people are attending school for longer than ever before, they still lack basic skills. 86.8% of children between the ages of 14 and 18 are overall enrolled in school, according to ASER 2023, dispelling a key concern during the pandemic that older children would stop attending school because their livelihoods would be in jeopardy.

ASER Center Director Wilima Wadhwa emphasized the value of life skills and fundamental education, saying that they are “not just for academic advancement but also to traverse daily life.” “At some level, India is in a unique position right now,” Wadhwa remarked. In order for India to get to the third position in the world economy, the caliber of our labor force must advance in tandem with our needs for development. The demographic dividend that comes with having a young population can only materialize if our children receive the assistance they need to fulfill their goals and actively contribute to the expansion of the economy.

According to the poll, the majority of young people in this age range (55.7%) were enrolled in the Arts/Humanities stream, with STEM (31.7%) and Commerce (9.4%) coming in second and third, respectively. The research stated that men report enrolling in the STEM stream at a higher rate (36.3%) than do women (28.1%).

The study also revealed that 92% of respondents indicated they knew how to use a smartphone and that 89% of respondents had one in their home, indicating a trend that has gained traction both during and after the pandemic.

The ASER survey, which involved 34,745 kids between the ages of 14 and 18, was carried out in 28 districts spread over 26 states. Every state, with the exception of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, which had two rural districts examined, had one rural district.