In India, the enrollment of students in government schools has increased significantly in the past few years, the latest edition of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER 2022) shows.
As many as 72.9 percent of the surveyed students go to government schools, it said. The report also highlights an increase in the number of private tuition takers.
The 2022 edition of the survey – done at a national level after 4 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic – reached 616 districts and 19,060 villages, covering 3,74,544 households and 6,99,597 children in the age group of 3 to 16 years, Pratham Education Foundation, who did the survey and prepared the report, said on Wednesday.
Enrollment in government schools has increased significantly since 2018 – when a regular nationwide survey was done by the organization last time – as per the report. In 2018, the number stood at 65.6 percent.
“The period 2006 to 2014 saw a steady decrease in the proportion of children (aged 6 to 14) enrolled in the government school. In 2014, this figure stood at 64.9% and did not change much over the following four years. However, the proportion of children (age 6 to 14) enrolled in government school increased sharply from 65.6% in 2018 to 72.9% in 2022. Increase in government school enrollment is visible in almost every state in the country,” the report states.
On the contrary, the number of students taking private tuition classes has increased. As per the ASER 2022 report, the percentage of Class 1-8 students taking tuition classes is at 30.5% in 2022, compared to 26.4% in 2018.
“In Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand, the proportion of children taking paid private tuition increased by 8 percentage points or more over 2018 levels,” the report highlighted.
More girls now going to school
The number of girls in the age group 11-14 years who do not go to schools has also decreased – 2% in 2022 compared to 4 % in 2018. “This figure is around 4% only in Uttar Pradesh and is lower in all other states,” as per ASER 2022.
The decrease in the proportion of girls not enrolled in school is even sharper among older girls in the 15-16 age group. In 2008, nationally, more than 20% of girls in the 15-16 age group were not enrolled in school. Ten years later, in 2018, this figure had decreased to 13.5%. The proportion of 15-16-year-old girls not enrolled has continued to drop, standing at 7.9% in 2022,” the report claims.
