India's Rural Learning Resurgence - ASER 2024 Report

ASER 2024 provides comprehensive numerical data on student learning and achievement across rural India, showing significant improvements, especially in foundational literacy and numeracy.

Here are key findings on student learning and achievement in numbers:

Overall National Learning Outcomes:

Reading (Std III):

The proportion of children in Std III who can read at a Std II level has recovered significantly from the pandemic-induced learning loss.

• In 2014, this figure was 23.6%.

• It rose to 27.3% in 2018.

• It drastically fell to 20.5% in 2022.

• By 2024, it reached 27.1%, indicating a full recovery.

Reading (Std V):

Similar improvements are seen for Std V children’s reading levels.

• The proportion of Std V children who can read a Std II level text was 48% in 2014.

• It increased to 50.5% in 2018.

• It dropped to 42.8% in 2022.

• In 2024, it recovered to 48.8%.

Arithmetic (Std III):

Basic arithmetic levels show substantial improvement, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and reaching the highest levels in over a decade.

• The percentage of Std III children able to do at least subtraction was 25.4% in 2014.

• It rose to 28.2% in 2018.

• It experienced a smaller decline to 25.9% in 2022.

• In 2024, this proportion increased to 33.7%, which is higher than seen in the last decade.

Arithmetic (Std V):

The proportion of Std V children who can at least do a numerical division problem also improved significantly.

• This figure was 27.9% in 2018.

• It declined to 25.6% in 2022.

• In 2024, it rose to 30.7%, which is much higher than levels in the past many years.

Arithmetic (Std VIII):

The performance of Std VIII students in basic arithmetic has remained largely stable.

• 44.1% in 2018.

• 44.7% in 2022.

• 45.8% in 2024.

Performance by School Type (Government vs. Private Schools):

The recovery in learning levels is largely driven by government schools.

Std III Reading (Std II level text):

• Government Schools: Increased from 16.3% in 2022 to 23.4% in 2024, surpassing the 2018 level of 20.9% and making it the highest since ASER’s inception.

• Private Schools: Showed a more muted recovery, increasing from 33.1% in 2022 to 35.5% in 2024, still below their pre-pandemic level of 40.6% in 2018. This has reduced the learning differential between private and government schools from 20 percentage points in 2018 to 12 percentage points.

Std V Reading (Std II level text):

• Government Schools: Recovered from 38.5% in 2022 to 44.8% in 2024, after a decline from 44.2% in 2018.

• Private Schools: Showed small improvements from 56.8% in 2022 to 59.3% in 2024, after a decline from 65.1% in 2018.

Std III Arithmetic (Subtraction):

Both government and private schools saw large jumps, with 2024 levels surpassing those from 10 years ago.

• Government Schools: Increased by 36.6%, from 20.2% in 2022 to 27.6% in 2024.

• Private Schools: Showed a smaller improvement, increasing from 43.1% in 2022 to 47.5% in 2024.

State-Level Achievements:

Almost all states showed improvements in learning levels compared to 2022.

• Uttar Pradesh showed a remarkable recovery:

  • In 2014, only 6% of government school Std III children could read a Std II level text, rising to 12.3% in 2018 and 16.4% in 2022 (without a learning loss).

  • In 2024, this proportion jumped to 27.9% in government schools.

  • Learning levels in arithmetic for Std V in Uttar Pradesh government schools are also at their highest in 20 years.

• High-performing states like Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra also posted large learning gains, almost recovering their pandemic-induced learning loss.

• States with more than a 10 percentage point increase in Std III reading in government schools between 2022 and 2024 include Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, and Maharashtra.

• States with over a 10 percentage point increase in Std V reading in government schools between 2022 and 2024 include Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu.

• States with over a 15 percentage point increase in Std III subtraction in government schools between 2022 and 2024 include Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh.

• States with over a 10 percentage point increase in Std V division in government schools include Punjab and Uttarakhand.

Contextual Data on Schooling Status:

• Overall Enrollment (age 6-14): Has remained high, exceeding 95% for nearly 20 years, with 98.1% enrolled in 2024 (a slight decrease from 98.4% in 2022).

• Out-of-School Children (age 6-14): Proportion is 1.9% in 2024, slightly above the 2022 figure of 1.6%.

• Government School Enrollment (age 6-14): After a jump during the pandemic, government school enrollment declined to 66.8% in 2024, similar to the 2018 figure of 65.5%. This suggests the pandemic-driven increase was due to necessity rather than choice.

• Out-of-School Older Children (age 15-16): Continues to fall, standing at 7.9% in 2024, slightly above the 2022 figure of 7.5%.

Assessment Methodology:

ASER assesses basic reading and arithmetic abilities using a simple one-on-one tool administered orally in the household to children aged 5-16, in 19 languages across the country. The reading assessment determines if a child can read letters, words, or a simple paragraph at Std I or Std II level of difficulty. The arithmetic assessment checks for number recognition (1-9, 11-99), 2-digit subtraction with borrowing, and 3-digit by 1-digit division. These methods have been consistent since 2006, allowing for reliable comparisons over time.

These improvements are largely attributed to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and its focus on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) under the NIPUN Bharat Mission, which promotes a systemic national push to improve foundational learning outcomes. In 2024, 83% of schools reported receiving government directives to implement FLN activities, and 78% reported at least one teacher trained on FLN.