Redefining Schooling to Engage Young Learners

The data released as per the recent Annual Status of Education Report?(ASER)?2022 based on a nationwide survey, not surprisingly, paints a grim picture of the learning loss suffered by school students in India post-pandemic. But it also made some positive observations as a result of the social change in the making.?

Between 2014 and 2018, ASER observed a steady rise in the reading and numeracy skills of students. However, the latest edition of ASER points out that the absence of classroom interaction during the pandemic years has tumbled the achievements made earlier. Maharashtra, where 33 districts, 983 villages and 19396 households were surveyed, witnessed a significant decline in reading and mathematical skills among students.?

Here are the findings of the report.

Alarming observations?

In Maharashtra, the percentage of students surveyed from class 3, class 5, and class 8 who can read class 2 level text is considerably lower than the 2018 levels. E.g. in 2018, 42.1% of class 3 students could read class 2 level text compared to 26.6% in 2022. The data is equally worrying when it comes to assessing basic mathematical abilities.?

Only 18.7% of class 2 students in Maharashtra are capable of performing basic subtraction, a decline from 27.1% in 2018. Students of classes 5 and 8 were assessed for division abilities. Among class 5 students, only 19.9% know how to perform division, a steep fall from 28% in 2018. Whereas, only 34.4% of class 8 students are capable of dividing numbers falling from 40.7% in 2018.?

Although digitalisation is gaining momentum at a national level, the number of schools having computers declined after the pandemic. Only 34% of schools have computers in 2022 compared to 45.5% in 2018, whereas the percentage of students that use computers is the same at 19% in 2018 and 2022.?

Positive observations?

On the flip side, the report also made some encouraging observations. Despite the crippling impact of the pandemic, many schools, including in rural areas, kept the learning going with the help of different digital resources. The teachers and the parents played a vital role in maintaining the continuity of education. The percentage of 6 to 16-year-old students in school is more than 98%. The number of girl students not enrolled in school has dropped to just 2%, which is amazing.?

?Another interesting piece of data that emerged is that 84.1% of households have access to smartphones, out of which 88.1% have an internet connection. As a consequence, more children have access to smartphones and the internet which can be leveraged to provide accessible affordable and quality digital education to them at home.?

Key Takeaways?

The reading and mathematical abilities of children have fallen sharply due to inadequate interaction between students and teachers during the pandemic. The number of schools having computers and internet access has dropped, possibly because they are cash-strapped and need infrastructure support from the government and private sector.

On the other side, with the availability of smartphones and internet, digital access has considerably improved. Parents and teachers realise that digital is the way forward. That’s why they tried hard to keep children connected to education during the challenging times in whatever ways they could.?

If you are looking to set up digital infrastructure in schools,?Home Revise Education?can help you with that. Home Revise Education is India’s leading e-learning software provider for schools and students, delivering complete board syllabi in?the form of audio-visual animation?videos. We have worked with many organisations over the years to support their CSR initiatives to reach lakhs of students across the country.

Our licenced animation-based eLearning set up can be operated with or without internet connection. Besides facilitating the setting up of e-learning infrastructure, we provide end-to-end support through project implementation and teachers training. We also track the academic progress of students, the primary beneficiaries, to ensure our collective efforts don’t go in vain and that we make a real difference at the grassroots level.?

For more information, write to us [email protected]

You can read more about our CSR initiatives here?https://homerevise.co.in/about/csr??

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