Only 41.1% of class 1 students can recognize 2-digit numbers, reveals the Annual Status on Education Report (ASER). This data deviates from NCERT's specification of learning outcomes. As per the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) children are expected to be able to recognize numbers up to 99 in class 1 itself.
The ASER further reveals 28% of class 2 students are also unable to do so.
The 14th ASER was released today in New Delhi. In 2019, ASER has attempted to shine the spotlight on the early years, reporting on the schooling status as well as on a range of important developmental indicators for young children in the age group 4-8.
The report has been prepared based on the survey conducted in 26 districts across 24 states in India. The survey covered a total of 1,514 villages, 30,425 households, and 36,930 children in the age group of 4-8 years.
The report brings to fore the violation of Right to Education Act, 2009 (RTE) by schools, mostly by government schools, during enrolment of students. RTE mandates that children should enter class 1 at the age of 6 years. However, 4 out of every 10 children in class 1 are either younger than 5 or older than 6 years of age.
This affects the cognitive, early language, early numeracy, and social and emotional learning capacity of the child. For example, within the class 1 cohort, almost no children age 4 and 5 can read a class 1 level text, says the report.
Permitting underage children into primary grades puts them at a learning disadvantage which is difficult to overcome, it adds.
The report also discusses on the gender wise enrollment status in schools. It says a higher proportion of girls are enrolled in government institutions and a higher proportion of boys are in private institutions. Among 4- and 5-yearold children, 56.8% girls and 50.4% boys are enrolled in government pre-schools or schools, while 43.2% girls and 49.6% boys are enrolled in private pre-schools or schools.
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