A phone-based survey, Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), done by NGO Pratham in September that studied the sixth month of national school closures, was released on October 28, 2020, which shows a shift in enrolment from private to government schools due to Covid-19 impact. Conducted in 33 districts of 26 states and four Union Territories, involving a total of 52,227 households and 59,251 children in the 5-16 age group, the survey reveals that there are more children in government schools than two years ago, and a majority of them are not enrolled in the current academic year.
Key Takeaways of the Report
Some of the key takeaways of the report are as follows:
1. About 69.55 per cent children in the 6–14 age group are enrolled in government schools, up from 66.42 per cent in 2018. This shift is also visible across grades and genders. A per the report, 66.4 per cent of boys and 73 per cent of girls enrolled in government schools, compared to 62.8 per cent and 70 per cent in 2018.
2. ASER 2020 shows that 5.5 per cent children are not currently enrolled for the 2020-21 school year, up from 4 per cent in 2018. The youngest children between 6 and 10, believed to have not yet secured admission to school, rose to 5.3 per cent from 1.8 in 2018.
3. Smartphones have penetrated deeply as learning has shifted almost entirely to online platforms. Among enrolled students, 61.8 per cent live in families that own at least one smartphone, a spike merely 36.5 per cent children, who lived in families with at least one smartphone. Most children, about 70.2 per cent, however, said they did some form of learning activity with the help of material shared by tutors or family members themselves.
4. Some 76 per cent schools took help from their villages and community members to reach out to students during the pandemic. Nearly 64 per cent students in government and private schools said that they were given learning material and activities from their school. More than 90 per cent students were in touch with their schools through WhatsApp. Amongst those who did not get learning resources, 58 per cent said that the school did not send them any material. Only about 19 per cent students reported attending live online classes.
5. One of the most heartening finds of this survey is that almost 75 per cent of children received some form of learning support from their family members, while older siblings played a key role, in cases where neither parent has studied beyond primary school. Therefore, 54.8 per cent of children received some form of family support where parents had completed Class 5 or less, compared to 89.4 per cent of children whose parents had studied beyond Class 9.
6. According to Wilima Wadhwa, Director, ASER Centre, the family role is the big takeaway from the survey, involving mothers and families, which supported children regardless of their education levels. The survey shows similar dynamics across the nation. More than 80 per cent children said they had textbooks for their current grade, compared to 84.1 per cent of students enrolled in government schools and 72.2 per cent in private ones.
7. Although the centre has now allowed states to reopen schools with Covid-19 safety protocols, a vast majority of students is still at home. When schools reopen, there should be continuous monitoring to see what percentage turns up and what is the learning loss, compared to previous years.
8. The report recommended that schools find ways to build on home support.
Courtesy: The Hindu, Hindustan Times, Indian Express