New Delhi, January 29, 2025: The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024, a nationwide rural household survey, reached 649,491 children across 17,997 villages in 605 rural districts across India. Facilitated by Pratham, the survey, conducted by local organizations, focused on a range of educational indicators. Key findings revealed a steady increase in pre-primary enrollment among children aged 3-5 years. For instance, enrollment among 3-year-olds rose from 68.1% in 2018 to 77.4% in 2024, and for 4-year-olds, the enrollment figure increased from 76% in 2018 to 83.3% in 2024. Among 5-year-olds, enrollment also saw a notable rise, from 58.5% in 2018 to 71.4% in 2024.
The report also highlighted improvements in reading and arithmetic levels for children in government schools. Since 2022, reading levels have improved across elementary grades (Std I-VIII), and children’s basic arithmetic skills have reached their highest levels in over a decade, in both government and private schools. The survey also found that the proportion of 15-16-year-olds not enrolled in school dropped significantly from 13.1% in 2018 to 7.9% in 2024, indicating progress in school enrollment. However, this figure has remained relatively unchanged since 2022.