Learning levels of Class 3 students back to pre-Covid level: ASER report

12% able to read Class 2 level text in 2024, improvement from 4.8% in 2022, 10.2% in 2018
For Class 5 students, 35.6% were able to read Class 2 level text in 2024, up from 25.2% in 2022, though still below the 40.8% recorded in 2018.
For Class 5 students, 35.6% were able to read Class 2 level text in 2024, up from 25.2% in 2022, though still below the 40.8% recorded in 2018.
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CHENNAI: The learning levels of students in Tamil Nadu have returned to pre-COVID standards among Class 3 students, while Class 5 students have shown substantial improvement, according to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 which was released on Tuesday.

The survey was conducted in 876 villages in 30 districts, covering 17,337 households and 28,984 children aged 3 to 16. However, the survey excluded Thoothukudi due to logistical issues, while the data from Kancheepuram was insufficient. The ASER basic survey is conducted every alternate year by the Pratham Foundation with smaller surveys focusing on various other dimensions of learning conducted in the intervening years. Only rural areas were covered in the survey.

Among Class 3 students, 12% (13.2 in government schools and 9.4 in private schools) were able to read Class 2 level text in 2024, an improvement from 4.8% in 2022 and 10.2% in 2018. Similarly, 27.7% (27.6% in government schools and 28.2 in private schools) of students could perform subtraction in 2024, compared to 11.2% in 2022 and 25.9% in 2018.

“The gains in government schools were high compared to private schools, with an increase in 8.5 percentage points in reading and 18.3 percentage points in arithmetic between 2022 and 2024. Tamil Nadu recorded an improvement of 16.5 percentage points in arithmetic during this period, outperforming neighbouring states and the national average,” said G Kumaresan, ASER associate.

For Class 5 students, 35.6% were able to read Class 2 level text in 2024, up from 25.2% in 2022, though still below the 40.8% recorded in 2018. Similarly, 20.7% of Class 5 students could solve division problems in 2024, an improvement from 14.9% in 2022 but short of the 25.6% recorded in 2018. “While these improvements indicate progress, learning levels have not yet fully recovered to pre-COVID standards. The percentage of increase (11%) in the category is also higher than the national average,” Kumaresan added.

However, it should be noted that while the gains are better than other states, states like Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh perform better when it comes to learning levels.

Preschool enrolment for children aged 3 has reached near-universal levels in Tamil Nadu, with 94.3% enrolled in 2024. Enrolment in government institutions for this age group rose from 62.3% in 2018 to 78.7% in 2024, although this marks a slight decline from 79.2% in 2022. The proportion of children not enrolled in school remains low, with only 1% of Class 4 students and 0.6% of Class 5 students not enrolled. Among children aged 15 to 16 years, the non-enrolment rate was 1.8%, with boys at 2.6% and girls at 1.2%.

Tamil Nadu also recorded a decline in government school enrolment in 2024, dropping to 68.7% from 75.7% in 2022, as private school enrolment returned to pre-COVID levels. For rural children aged 6–14, private school enrolment has remained steady at around 30% over the past decade, except for a temporary drop in 2022.

The report also noted that Tamil Nadu has a higher proportion of children entering Class 1 at the age of 6, with 61.3% compared to the national average of 40.2%. This is despite the state’s practice of admitting children aged 5+ to Class 1, reflecting a gradual shift in alignment with the National Education Policy’s recommendation of a six year entry age.

The report also observed that a decline was visible in usable toilets, girls’ toilets, and drinking water in government schools in 2024 compared to 2018. Other services and facilities in school like mid-day meals, electricity connection, and libraries were found to be available only in around 90% of surveyed schools.

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