Education is often described as the foundation of a nation’s progress, and for a country as diverse and populous as India, ensuring quality education for all remains a formidable challenge. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024, released by the Pratham Education Foundation on January 28, provides crucial insights into the state of learning in rural India. Conducted across 17,997 villages in 605 districts, covering 649,491 children, the survey highlights progress in foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN), regional disparities, and the ongoing digital divide in education.

While pandemic-induced learning losses are showing signs of reversal, deeper challenges persist, particularly in mathematical proficiency, gender-based learning gaps, and digital accessibility. Government schools have shown remarkable improvement, surpassing private schools in learning recovery, thanks to policy-driven initiatives like the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the NIPUN Bharat Mission. However, issues such as declining government school enrollment, gender disparity in digital literacy, and overall learning deficiencies indicate that much work remains to be done.

About ASER

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) is a nationwide, citizen-led household survey that provides a comprehensive assessment of schooling and learning outcomes in rural India.

• The word ‘ASER’ means ‘impact’ in Hindi.
• It captures data from both school-going and out-of-school children aged 3 to 16 years while assessing reading and arithmetic skills for children aged 5 to 16 years.
• The ASER Centre, facilitated by the Pratham network, coordinates the survey.
• First conducted in 2005, ASER was conducted annually for ten years until 2014, after which it shifted to an alternate-year model:
• Basic ASER Survey (every alternate year): Focuses on foundational learning.
• Gap Years: Focuses on specific themes or age groups (e.g., ASER 2017 focused on youth aged 14-18; ASER 2019 assessed early childhood learning).
• ASER 2024 returned to its nationwide ‘basic’ survey format, covering most rural districts.

Key Findings of ASER 2024

Post-Pandemic Learning Recovery: One of the most encouraging takeaways from ASER 2024 is the recovery from COVID-19-induced learning losses. During the pandemic, prolonged school closures resulted in significant setbacks in foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN), particularly in younger students. However, the 2024 report suggests that learning levels in rural India have not only recovered but, in some cases, exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

• The proportion of Class 3 children in government schools who can read a Class 2-level text improved from 16.3% in 2022 to 23.4% in 2024—the highest level recorded since ASER’s inception in 2005.
• The share of Class 5 students who can read at Class 2 level rose from 38.5% in 2022 to 44.8% in 2024, approaching the 2018 level (44.2%).
• In Class 8, reading ability saw marginal improvement, increasing from 66.2% in 2022 to 67.5% in 2024.

In arithmetic, improvements are also visible:

• The proportion of Class 3 students who could solve a subtraction problem rose from 25.9% in 2022 to 33.7% in 2024.
• The proportion of Class 5 students who could solve a division problem improved from 25.6% to 30.7%.

While reading skills and arithmetic have improved, learning gaps persist, particularly in numeracy skills across all grades.

Government Schools vs Private Schools

A noteworthy trend in ASER 2024 is the stronger learning recovery in government schools compared to private schools. Historically, private schools have outperformed government schools, but the latest findings reveal a turnaround:

• In Class 3, the proportion of government school students who can read a Class 2-level text rose by 7.1 percentage points (16.3% in 2022 to 23.4% in 2024). However, in private schools, the increase was only 1.7 percentage points (41.8% to 43.5%).
• In Class 5, government school students improved from 38.5% in 2022 to 44.8% in 2024 (a 6.3 percentage point gain), while private school students saw only a 2.5 percentage point rise (56.8% to 59.3%).

A similar trend is observed in arithmetic proficiency, where government school students outpaced their private school counterparts in improvement rates.

This reversal is largely attributed to NEP 2020 and the NIPUN Bharat Mission, which prioritize foundational learning, along with teacher training programs and structured school-readiness initiatives.

Gender Disparities in Learning and Digital Literacy

ASER 2024 highlights gender-based learning gaps, particularly in mathematics and digital literacy.

• In Class 3, 29.4% of boys could solve a subtraction problem compared to 25.8% of girls.
• In Class 5, 33.1% of boys could correctly solve a division problem, whereas only 27.9% of girls could do so.
• The gap persists through Class 8, where 47.2% of boys demonstrate arithmetic proficiency compared to 44.1% of girls.

These disparities reflect deep-rooted societal biases that discourage girls from pursuing numeracy-related skills. Many rural households focus more on literacy for girls, while mathematical education takes a backseat, limiting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) opportunities for girls later in life.

In digital literacy, boys have greater smartphone access and higher digital awareness than girls:

• 36.2% of boys own a personal smartphone, compared to 26.9% of girls.
• 62% of boys know how to use digital safety features, compared to 48% of girls.

Bridging this gap requires targeted interventions such as gender-sensitive curricula, community engagement programs, and inclusive digital education initiatives.

Declining Enrollment in Government Schools

While government schools have seen improvement in learning outcomes, their overall enrollment is declining. The proportion of children in government schools fell from 72.9% in 2022 to 66.8% in 2024.

Possible reasons include:

• Perception of Private Schools: Parents believe private schools offer better discipline, stronger English instruction, and greater accountability.
• Teacher Shortages: Many government schools lack subject-specific teachers, especially in middle school grades.
• Parental Economic Recovery: As incomes stabilize post-pandemic, families that moved children to government schools due to financial constraints are returning to private schools.

To reverse this trend, government schools need to further enhance quality, ensure adequate staffing, and strengthen infrastructure.

The Digital Divide in Education

Despite higher smartphone penetration in rural India, digital learning remains limited.

• 89% of teenagers (14-16 years) report having smartphones at home, but only 57% use them for education.
• 31.4% personally own a smartphone, meaning most depend on shared family devices, limiting digital learning access.
• Urban-rural connectivity gaps and poor infrastructure restrict digital education effectiveness.

Bridging the digital divide requires better infrastructure, localized ed-tech solutions, and increased awareness on productive digital learning habits.

Conclusion & Way Forward

ASER 2024 presents a story of recovery and resilience, but challenges remain. NEP 2020 and the NIPUN Bharat Mission have positively impacted government schools, yet gaps in numeracy, gender disparity, and digital access need urgent attention.

Recommendations:

• Strengthening FLN programs with targeted mathematics interventions.
• Gender-inclusive learning strategies for STEM education.
• Teacher training and recruitment to improve quality education.
• Digital infrastructure development in rural areas.

With consistent policy implementation and regional interventions, India can move closer to achieving universal, high-quality education for all.