Which report has revealed the issue?
The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023 survey was released by the NGO named Pratham. It says that around 25% of rural kids aged 14 to 18 need help reading a 2nd-grade level text, even if it's in their regional language.
The report also tells us that 86.8% of 14 to 18-year-olds go to school. The ASER survey covered 28 districts in 26 states, looking at many kids in this age group.
One rural district was checked in each major state, except for Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, where two rural districts were surveyed.
What more did the report find?
The report found that more than half of the people surveyed have trouble dividing three-digit numbers by one-digit numbers. Only 43.3% can solve it. It says that 57.3% can read sentences in English, and almost 75% can understand their meanings.
Also, girls are better at reading grade II-level texts in their regional language, but boys do better in math and English reading. The report also said most kids in the 14-18 age group studied arts or humanities.
The report also revealed that fewer girls are likely to choose science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects than boys. ASER also studied the current situation of digital awareness and abilities among rural Indian youth.
What did it find regarding digital awareness?
The report says that almost all young people have a smartphone at home and know how to use it. More boys have smartphones than girls. But not many young people have a computer or laptop at home. Those with a computer at home are much more likely to know how to use it than those without.
The report also tells us that girls are less likely to know how to use a smartphone or computer than boys. These are some big findings of the report.
