ASER 2021

The Annual Status of Education Report, ASER, 2021 was published by Pratham Foundation in November 2021. This is the 16^th edition of the report.

What are the key findings of the report?

• The enrolment of children in government school between 2018 and 2020 increased from 64.3% to 65.8%. In 2021, this has further increased to 70.3%. According to 52% of the respondents, the increase in enrolment was mainly due to financial distress caused by COVID-19.
• The enrolment rate in private schools decreased from 28.8% in 2020 to 24.4% in 2021.
• Around 73.1% school respondents received training to implement COVID-19 related preventive measures.
• Around 79% of private school children had access to smartphones. However, only 63.7% of government school children had access to smartphones.
• Due to the closure of schools, the number of students taking tuition increased by 40%.

Why is ASER important?

The report finds out how children aged between 5 and 16 years studied during COVID-19 lock down. It also brings out the challenges faced by the schools and households during the pandemic. Thus, the report helps the government and other entities take actions and frame policies based on the current status.

What is ASER?

The report was published annually from 2005 to 2014. Later, it was published every alternate year. In 2021, the report focused on the fact that the school functioning was disrupted due to COVID-19. And after the lock downs were eased, only few schools returned to normal functioning. In 2021, ASER focused on smartphones, paid tuition, children enrolment, learning support at home and access to learning materials.