KOCHI: The findings of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2016 paint a dismal picture of the education status in rural Kerala. The survey, which provides estimates of children’s schooling status and their ability to read simple text and do basic arithmetic across rural areas in the country, revealed the quality of education in Kerala’s rural schools has come down in comparison to preceding years.
The basic arithmetic skills of rural students in Kerala have dwindled the highest in the last few years. As per the study, 53 per cent Class VIII students could subtract and divide but 25 per cent totally lacked both the basic arithmetic skills.
While 38.6 per cent of fifth graders were able to subtract and divide, 32.5 per cent students were unable to do them. Across the country, addition and subtraction are taught from kindergarten level and division and multiplication from Class I. The percentage of Class VIII students who can do division has gone down from 80.1 per cent in 2010 to 53.2 in 2016.
In comparison to the arithmetic figures, students fare better with regard to reading. But even when the state’s literacy rate stands at 93.91 per cent, the number of Class V students who could read a Class II text is a dismal 69.2 per cent. Interestingly, the ability to read and comprehend English is impressive as 91.4 per cent of Class VIII students can read and tell meanings of sentences in English.
Even though the state scores better on all parameters compared to the national average, it has performed poorly in comparison to states like Himachal Pradesh, Manipur and Haryana. The state is in the 9th spot in the arithmetic capabilities of Class VIII students.
Educationist R V G Menon said the condition of education in rural areas of Kerala has not increased over the years. “A lot of rural students are unable to get assistance in studies outside their schools. That reflects in their performance,” he said. As for dwindling standards in arithmetic and reading skills, Menon held the trivialisation of learning multiplication tables and spellings responsible. "Lack of quality and confidence of teachers are also posing issues,” he said.