ASER 2024: Percentage of 15 & 16-year-old boys in rural Gujarat not enrolled in school doubles since 2022

In 2024, similar successful galore different states, backstage schoolhouse enrolment (age 6-14 years) has returned to pre-COVID levels successful Gujarat. In 2018, enrolment successful backstage schools was 12.4 per cent which declined to 8 per cent successful 2022 and returned to 12.4 per cent successful 2024.

Between 2022 and 2024, the percent of 15-16-year-old boys not enrolled successful schools has doubled from 4.2 per cent to 9.4 per cent. For girls, it went from 8 per cent to 10.5 per cent. In 2016, 18.7 of per cent boys and 23.5 per cent of girls were not enrolled successful immoderate schoolhouse successful the state. Notably, this includes some children who person ne'er been enrolled and those who person dropped out.

The ASER Rural India report has been released aft 2 years, aft the past was published successful 2022. Barring the recently formed districts, the remaining 26 districts successful Gujarat were sampled utilizing the Census 2011 framework crossed 780 villages, surveying 24,746 children successful the property radical of 3-16 years successful the state. While 15,332 households successful these 26 districts were covered, 648 authorities schools successful these 780 villages were surveyed for the schoolhouse infrastructure report.

The sampling enactment process included 30 villages randomly selected successful each territory and 20 households randomly selected successful each village.

From 2010 to 2024, the fig of schools with an enrolment of 60 oregon little accrued from 4.6 per cent to 14.4 per cent. In 2010, 623 schools were visited and successful 2024, 648 schools were visited.

Also, successful 2022, 17.2 per cent of children who are 3 years aged were not successful pre-school oregon schoolhouse and, 8.1 per cent 4-year-old children were not successful school. This has declined to 4.7 per cent successful the 3-year property radical and 3.8 per cent successful 4-year-olds.

Reading and arithmetic levels

In agrarian Gujarat, determination has been an summation of 10.7 per cent betwixt 2022 and 2024 successful speechmaking levels of Class V children enrolled successful authorities schools. On the different hand, mathematics numbers person not changed much.

Pointing astatine betterment from the “learning loss” witnessed aft the COVID pandemic among Class V children successful authorities schools, successful reading, 2024 figures are higher than successful 2022.

Only 14.3 per cent of Class V students tin lick Class II 3-digit by 1-digit part problems, portion 46.3 per cent of the students tin work astatine a Class II level.

Further, among Class VIII students, speechmaking levels person accrued since 2022, surpassing the pre-COVID levels — from 52.4 to 75.8 per cent. Arithmetic levels declined from 31.8 to 30.3 per cent.

Digital literacy

Despite Gujarat having a higher percent of adolescents aged betwixt 14-16 years with entree to smartphones than the nationalist level — 96 per cent against 89 per cent — it has a acold little percent of ownership. Against 31.4 per cent of adolescents crossed the state with ownership of smartphones, lone 18.6 per cent of them successful Gujarat person their ain phones.

In agrarian Gujarat, 12.9 per cent girls aged 14-16 years aged person their ain smartphones against 24.6 per cent boys.

School infrastructure

Over fractional of Class I children — 59.8 per cent — were seen sitting with different classes, portion 55.3 per cent of Class II children were besides observed sitting with different classes successful the classroom.

Libraries were not determination astatine 16.4 per cent schools, and 28.2 percent of them had a room that children aren’t using. Meanwhile, 25.4 per cent schools lacked computers portion 34.6 percent schools had them without children being capable to entree them.