No lessons learnt: ASER report 2019 shows India's learning crisis continues

India's learning crisis is not news. The National Achievement Survey of 2017 tells us that one in three students in Class III cannot read small text with comprehension and that one in two students in Class III cannot use math to solve daily life problems. The findings from the 2018 ASER report are even more stark — only 50 per cent of children in Class V in rural India could read a Class II-level text, and only 28 per cent of Class V students could solve a division problem. 

But when exactly do these learning deficits begin? The ASER data from 2018 reveals some answers. For instance, 42.7 per cent of rural children in Class I could not even recognise letters in their medium of instruction, and 35.7 per cent could not recognise numbers from 1-9. The data from the 2017 tells us that the origin of this crisis lies even before children enter Class I. Children in India are simply not school-ready! A well-designed and well-delivered pre-primary programme is the most effective way to bridge the learning gap early.

However, the public system in India has been unable to provide quality early childhood education to those aged 3-6, and even more specifically to those aged 5-6. Pre-schooling is but one of six services delivered through the Anganwadi network, and is arguably the least prioritised. An anganwadi worker is tasked with multiple responsibilities, making it difficult to ensure sufficient instructional time. 

Source:  Annual Status of Education Report, 2019