ASER 2024 Report: Comprehensive Insights into India’s Education Landscape

ASER Reports always bring out pertinent findings that shape the future of education. Recently, ASER 2024 released on 28th January, offers valuable insights into learning outcomes across India. Explore the key takeaways and understand how data-driven decisions can drive impactful educational initiatives.

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 offers a comprehensive snapshot of learning outcomes and foundational skills among children in rural India. Conducted by Pratham, this large-scale household survey reached 649,491 children across 17,997 villages in 605 districts, making it one of the most extensive assessments of India’s education landscape. What makes ASER unique is its on-ground, citizen-led approach, where local organizations and institutions actively participate in data collection. 

The ASER 2024 report presents key insights across three age groups:

• Pre-primary (3-5 years)
• Elementary (6-14 years)
• Older children (15-16 years)

The report highlights crucial trends in early learning, foundational literacy and numeracy, and students’ readiness for higher education and employment. 

ASER 2024 Key Findings and Their Impact on India’s Education Future

Shifts in School Enrollment across India

Pre-primary School Enrollment for children aged 3-5

• 3-Year-Olds: There’s been a steady rise in enrollment for 3-year-olds in pre-primary schools—up from 68.1% in 2018 to 77.4% in 2024. States such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Telangana are leading the way with nearly universal enrollment, while Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh still face challenges, with over half of the 3-year-olds not enrolled anywhere.
• 4-Year-Olds: Enrollment in this age group has seen a jump, going from 76% in 2018 to 83.3% in 2024. In fact, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha now boast enrollment rates above 95%!
• 5-Year-Olds: The enrollment of 5-year-olds has increased from 58.5% in 2018 to 71.4% in 2024. Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Nagaland stand out with enrollment rates exceeding 90%.

Elementary School Enrollment for children aged 6-14

• Overall Enrollment: Great news—school enrollment for children aged 6-14 has been consistently high, with over 95% of students enrolled for nearly two decades. In fact, the national enrollment rate held steady at 98.4% in 2022 and just slightly dipped to 98.1% in 2024. That’s a positive sign of sustained progress across the country.
• Government School Enrollment: While the percentage of children enrolled in government schools was 65.5% in 2018, the pandemic brought a surge, peaking at 72.9% in 2022. However, by 2024, it’s dropped slightly to 66.8%. This trend is seen across most states, except for Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir, where the numbers have remained strong.

School Enrollment trends for older children (ages 15-16)

• Overall Enrollment: The good news is that fewer 15-16-year-olds are falling out of the education system. However, the proportion of children in this age group not enrolled in school dropped significantly from 13.1% in 2018 to 7.5% in 2022, and it has stayed relatively stable at 7.9% in 2024.
• Enrollment for Girls: However, the number of girls not enrolled has seen a slight increase from 7.9% in 2022 to 8.1% in 2024. While many states have seen improvement, the gap remains higher than 10% in a few regions. States such as Madhya Pradesh (16.1%), Uttar Pradesh (15%), and Rajasthan (12.7%) still have a significant number of girls not enrolled in school.

Although we’ve made progress, sustaining this momentum—especially in government schools—will be essential to driving lasting impact and empowering every student with the learning opportunities they deserve.

Progress for Foundational Learning: Reading and Arithmetic

Reading

Reading levels in government schools across India have improved since 2022, showing strong progress in all elementary grades (Std I-VIII). 

• Standard 3: One of the most significant improvements is seen in Std III students. In 2024, the percentage of Std III children in government schools who can read a Std II-level text reached its highest point since the ASER survey began. This number was 20.9% in 2018, dropped to 16.3% in 2022, but has now surged to 23.4% in 2024. What’s even more encouraging is that the recovery in government schools has been stronger than in private schools. After a decline in reading levels in 2022, all states have shown improvement in 2024. This steady progress highlights the impact of focused efforts in strengthening foundational literacy and ensuring children get back on track with their learning.
• Standard 5: Reading levels among Std V students have made a strong comeback, especially in government schools. In 2018, 44.2% of Std V children in government schools could read a Std II-level text. This dropped to 38.5% in 2022, but the good news is that it has bounced back to 44.8% in 2024. Private schools have also seen some improvement. 
• Standard 6: There’s encouraging progress in reading levels for Std VIII students in government schools. After dropping from 69% in 2018 to 66.2% in 2022, the numbers are now climbing back up, reaching 67.5% in 2024. This steady improvement highlights the impact of ongoing efforts to strengthen foundational learning. Meanwhile, private school students have maintained the same reading levels since 2022, showing no major change. The picture at the state level is quite mixed—while Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Sikkim have made notable strides in government school reading levels, some states like Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana have seen a decline.

Arithmetic

• Standard 3: Math skills are improving for Std III students across India! In 2018, 28.2% of students could solve a basic subtraction problem. This dropped to 25.9% in 2022, but the good news is that it has increased to 33.7% in 2024. Government schools have seen a major boost. The percentage of students solving subtraction problems went from 20.9% in 2018 to 20.2% in 2022, and now it has surged to 27.6% in 2024. Private schools have also improved, but the jump isn’t as significant. These improvements show that with the right support, young learners are building strong math foundations. 
• Standard 5: Students of Class V across India are mastering divisions. In 2018, 27.9% of students could solve a basic division problem. This dipped to 25.6% in 2022, but the numbers are back up, reaching 30.7% in 2024. The biggest driver of this improvement? Government schools. Students here have shown significant progress, with states like Punjab and Uttarakhand leading the way.
• Standard 8: In 2018, 44.1% of students could solve arithmetic problems, which saw a slight increase to 44.7% in 2022 and has now inched up to 45.8% in 2024. While the progress is gradual, it’s a sign that efforts to strengthen math skills are keeping students on track. With continued focus, we can help push these numbers even higher and ensure every student builds strong foundational skills.

These insights remind us that while progress is happening, there’s still work to be done. With the right support and focus, we can help more students build strong reading and arithmetic skills across all states.

Digital Literacy Trends Highlighted in ASER 2024

For the first time ever, ASER’s nationwide household survey included a section on digital literacy for students aged 14 to 16, going beyond reading and math to explore their tech skills. It covered self-reported questions on smartphone access, ownership, and usage, along with a one-on-one assessment of basic digital skills to understand where young learners stand in today’s digital world.

• Access to smartphones is nearly universal among 14-16-year-olds, with about 90% of both boys and girls reporting that they have a smartphone at home. However, the ability to use a smartphone differs slightly, with 85.5% of boys and 79.4% of girls saying they know how to use one.
• When it comes to ownership, the number of teenagers who actually own a smartphone is much lower but increases with age. Among those who can use a smartphone, 27% of 14-year-olds report owning one, while this number rises to 37.8% by age 16. There is also a noticeable gender gap in ownership, with 36.2% of boys having their own smartphone compared to just 26.9% of girls. This gap is consistent across all states.
• In terms of usage, 82.2% of teenagers in this age group know how to use a smartphone. Among them, 57% reported using it for an educational activity in the past week, while 76% used it for social media during the same period. The use of smartphones for education is similar among boys and girls, but when it comes to social media, boys are slightly ahead—78.8% of boys report using social media compared to 73.4% of girls. Kerala stands out, with over 80% of students using smartphones for educational activities and more than 90% for social media.
• Digital safety awareness among teens using social media is relatively high. About 62% know how to block or report a profile, 55.2% are aware of how to make their profile private, and 57.7% know how to change a password. However, boys tend to have a higher awareness of these safety measures than girls across most states.
• To assess digital skills, on the day of the survey, 70.2% of boys and 62.2% of girls managed to bring a smartphone—whether their own, a family member’s, or a neighbor’s—to complete a set of digital tasks. They were asked to do three things: set an alarm, browse for specific information, and find a YouTube video. If they successfully located the video, they had to share it via a messaging app. The results? More than three-quarters of the students completed all tasks successfully, and among those who found the video, over 90% were able to share it. However, a gender gap was evident in task performance, with the biggest difference in setting an alarm—81.5% of boys managed it compared to 72.4% of girls. But in states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, the trend shifted—girls performed just as well as, if not better than, boys in these digital tasks.

While smartphones are widely accessible, ownership remains limited, particularly for girls. Though many students use them for learning, social media remains the dominant activity. As more teenagers go online, ensuring equal access, encouraging productive usage, and strengthening digital safety awareness will be key challenges to address. 

What stands out from the digital literacy data of  ASER 2024 is that access to digital devices is not as much of a barrier as we might think, but the challenge lies in enabling students to use them effectively for learning. 

Therefore, it’s crucial to provide students with devices loaded with educational resources to ensure they use them for the right purposes. Beyond just providing access, we need to focus on training, regular monitoring, and engaging activities to guide their usage. These are some efforts that can accelerate digital literacy and ultimately lead to better learning outcomes.

School observations of ASER 2024 Report

In 2024, ASER surveyors reached 15,728 government schools with primary sections. Out of these, 8,504 were dedicated primary schools, while 7,224 were schools that also offered upper primary or higher grades. Pretty impressive, right? Let us look at their observations for different concerns:

Progress around Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) activities:

• Did you know? Over 80% of schools got the direction from the government to integrate FLN activities for Std I-II/III, not just last year, but also this academic year. And the best part? Most of these schools have at least one teacher who’s been trained in-person on FLN.
• What’s even better? More than 75% of schools have received Teaching Learning Materials (TLM) or funds to create or buy these materials to boost their FLN activities.
• And here’s a big win—over 75% of schools have rolled out school readiness programs for students before they step into Std I, both last year and this year.
• Plus, 95% of schools have made sure every grade gets textbooks, a huge improvement from last year

It’s clear that significant steps are being taken in implementing FLN activities across schools. With continued efforts and support, we can expect even more positive outcomes, ensuring that every child has a strong foundation to build on as they grow and learn.

A Steady Rise in Student and Teacher Attendance

Attendance in government primary schools has been steadily improving over the years. Student attendance has inched up from 72.4% in 2018 to 75.9% in 2024—a small but positive shift! Similarly, teachers are showing up more consistently, with attendance rising from 85.1% in 2018 to 87.5% in 2024. A big part of this improvement comes from changes in Uttar Pradesh, where both student and teacher attendance have been on the rise.

The Rise of Small Schools & Multigrade Classrooms 

• In 2022, 44% of small government primary schools had fewer than 60 students, but by 2024, this jumped to 52.1%. Two-thirds of Std I and Std II classrooms in primary schools are multigrade, meaning students from different grades are learning together.

Improvement in School Facilities

Schools across the country have been making steady improvements in key Right to Education (RTE) indicators. More schools now have usable girls’ toilets, with numbers rising from 66.4% in 2018 to 72% in 2024. Access to drinking water has also improved—from 74.8% in 2018 to 77.7% in 2024. Apart from this, ASER 2024 also highlights an exciting shift: more students now have access to books beyond their textbooks, increasing from 36.9% in 2018 to 51.3% in 2024! But progress isn’t equal everywhere. Schools in Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland are still catching up when it comes to these basic facilities. 

This evolving landscape presents both challenges and opportunities—what do you think could be done to make learning more effective in these settings? 

At iDream Education, we’re happy to see the progress made and believe India’s foundational learning revolution is taking shape!

We believe ASER  2024 findings reaffirm that a dedicated focus on foundational learning can drive meaningful change. The rebound in reading and math scores is proof of the relentless efforts of our teachers, schools, organisations and administrators who have worked tirelessly to strengthen early education.

While this progress is worth celebrating, it also reminds us that our journey is far from over.

There are gaps in early childhood education (ECE) highlighted in ASER 2024. These include low learning levels, access and enrolment disparities in states, lack of trained teachers, infrastructure limitations and transition from pre school to primary school and poor parental engagement. 

Foundational literacy and numeracy remain the bedrock of a thriving education system, and as we move forward, we must continue to build on this momentum. By aligning with NIPUN Bharat’s 2.0 vision, prioritizing early childhood education, leveraging technology for impactful learning, and strengthening schools to address historical learning gaps, we can ensure that every child in India gets the strong educational foundation they deserve.

ASER 2024 serves as a critical benchmark for education in India, highlighting both our achievements and the work that lies ahead. As we strive towards a NIPUN Bharat, let’s focus on providing students with the access, support, and tools they need to learn, perform, and thrive from their early years.

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