Context:
Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 released by NGO Pratham Foundation.
Annual Status of Education Report (ASER):
- Nationwide rural household-based survey of children’s schooling and learning status.
- Tests schooling status for children aged 3-16 and ability to read simple text & do basic arithmetic for children aged 5-16.
- Frequency – Conducted on an alternate-year cycle.
Key Findings:
- Reversing the Learning Gap: Improvements in basic reading and arithmetic among students of classes 3 and 5 in rural areas, recovering from post-pandemic damage.
- Overall Improvement: Enhanced reading and arithmetic levels for all elementary grades (Std I-VIII) since 2022, with arithmetic levels being the highest over the decade.
- Smartphone Access: Nearly universal, with almost 90% of both girls and boys having a smartphone at home.
- However, there is a gender gap with36.2% of boys owning a smartphone compared to 26.9% of girls.
- Smartphone Usage: 57% of teenagers use smart devices for educational purposes, while approximately 76% use them for social media.
- School Infrastructure: Slight improvements in Right to Education indicators, including functional girls’ toilets and drinking water facilities.
Source: HT
Previous Year Question
‘SWAYAM’, an initiative of the Government of India, aims at
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2016 Prelims]
(a) promoting the Self Help Groups in rural areas
(b) providing financial and technical assistance to young start-up entrepreneurs
(c) promoting the education and health of adolescent girls
(d) providing affordable and quality education to the citizens for free
Answer: (d)