5 key findings from the ASER 2022 launch

On Wednesday, January 18, the ASER Centre – facilitated by Pratham – released the much anticipated Annual Status of Education Report 2022. The report provides estimates of basic reading and arithmetic for every rural district in India and has done so since 2005. The series of reports has provided crucial data over time on key indicators of quality of education.

ASER 2022 is the first measurement of foundational learning conducted in households across the country after the long period of COVID-19 school closures.

The survey reached 616 districts and a total of 19,060 villages in rural India. In total, 374,544 households and 699,597 children in the age group 3 to 16 were surveyed.

Here are five key findings from the Annual Status of Education Report 2022:

Enrollment in early childhood education: Across rural India in 2022, the proportion of 3-year-olds enrolled in some form of early childhood education stands at 78.3%, an increase of 7.1 percent from 2018.

Overall enrollment (age group 6-14): The enrollment rate has been above 95% for the past 15 years. Despite school closures during the pandemic, overall enrollment figures have increased by over 1% in 2022.

Proportion of girls out of school: In 2022, the national figure for 11-14-year-old girls not enrolled in school stands at 2%. There has been a noticeable decrease in this figure since 2006.

The decrease is even sharper among older girls in the 15-16 age group (most at risk of dropping out). Only 3 states have more than 10% of girls in this age group out of school: Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Literacy levels have dropped: Nationally, children’s basic reading ability has dropped to pre-2012 levels, reversing the slow improvement achieved in the intervening years. Drops are visible in both government and private schools in most states, and for both boys and girls.

Arithmetic levels have dropped less steeply: Nationally, children’s basic arithmetic levels have declined over 2018 levels for most grades. But the declines are less steep and the picture is more varied than in the case of basic reading.

For more in depth analysis of the key findings, the full national and state reports, you can access the ASER 2022 toolkit here and watch the recording below for a recap of the national findings.

ASER Launch Event

ASER 2022 (Rural) was released in person and virtually from an event in New Delhi, by Mr. Ajay Piramal Chairman, Piramal Group and Chairman of Pratham Education Foundation. He said, “This report gives us the direction and also the sense that to enhance education standards, the eco-system involving Government, Corporates, Civil Society and NGOs need to work together. A concerted effort by all in the education space is needed to propel India’s economic and social development.”

A full recording of the launch event can be found below including insights from Mr Ajay Piramal and Dr Rukmini Banerji, CEO of Pratham Education Foundation, plus a panel discussion moderated by Pratham Co-Founder and President, Madhav Chavan.