Beyond Basics, the ASER 2023 report, reflects a comprehensive analysis of the education and skill scenario of rural youth aged 14 to 18 years. This background of this age group is revisited after six years, offering hence valuable insights into their status of education, digital literacy competencies, and preparedness for challenges.
Since 2005, ASER has been a very vital benchmark tool in understanding just where the educational level of children in India comes from. Run annually, except it ran biennially since 2016, the ASER survey operates as a household survey of foundational skills for children between the ages of 5 and 16. However, it is the "Beyond Basics" initiative of 2017 that focused on the older youth demographic and the all-too-important transition point between child and adulthood.
The ASER 2023 survey was carried out in 28 districts, across 26 states, covering over 34,000 youth. This sample, while not representative at the national level, provides a detailed picture of the lives of the young people in rural India. The survey focused on data acquisition in regard to activities done, basic and applied skills, digital engagement, and aspirations for the future made by the youth.
The vast majority, 86.8% of the youth aged 14-18, are enrolled in institutions and present a very strong level of participation in formal education. Not surprisingly, the enrolment is different for different age groups, with the older youth being less likely to be enrolled. For example, the rate of non-enrolment for the 18-year-olds is 32.6%, as opposed to just 3.9% for the 14-year-olds.
It also reflected a gender difference in enrolment across various streams of education. While over half the students of Std XI or above are enrolled in the Arts/ Humanities stream, on average, only 28.1% of the female respondents were enrolled in STEM fields as against males where this figure was 36.3%. Further, participation in vocational training is very low, with only 5.6% of the surveyed youth currently enrolled in such courses.
The report indicates that most males, that is, 40.3%, are engaged in work other than household work. On the other hand, a meager 28% of the females are involved in work other than household work, all of which is through family farms. The seldom involved vocational training and other courses, such as skill improvement courses, are therefore evidence that there is a disparity in the empowerment in practical and highlight skills that would be useful to the youth in the long term to operate effectively in the job market.
ASER 2023 measured basic abilities in reading, arithmetic, and English besides competencies in performing everyday financial calculations. The results of the study indicate that basic skills, especially in arithmetic, still remain weak and many young people find problems making simple calculations that are needed for everyday life. This lack of basic skills can inhibit their capability to deal with more complex tasks and real-life situations effectively.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced this digitization on us all, and left a significant impact on rural India. In 2018, the percentage share of rural households having at least one smartphone was 36%, which in 2022 had surged to 74.8%, thereby bridging the digital divide. Simultaneously, ASER 2023 explores how digital devices are utilized by youth through simple testing and testing on the use of digital devices using smartphone-based apps for purposes of learning.
While most of the youths had access to digital devices, their engagement is majorly for entertainment purposes and not for education. The report stresses the need to enhance digital literacy and productive uses of digital technologies among rural youth.
The areas of core concern within ASER 2023 Report are in the preparation of rural youth. Enrollment may be seen as high, but the quality of education and acquisition of practical skills has become a challenge. Other notable areas include the wide gender gap in the STEM enrollment and very low participation in the vocational training program; these definitely call for targeted interventions to bridge these gaps.
There is, surely, an opportunity to leverage education and skills using technology in the wake of the digital revolution, but something has to be done to ensure that the digital access achieved translates into meaningful engagement and thence to outcomes in learning.
Summary: Essentially, ASER 2023 "Beyond Basics" provides a critical snapshot of the present scenario of the current education and skills of rural youth in India. Besides filling these gaps and challenges, it is only through this means that India's demographic dividend can be harnessed and its youth prepared for the future in a digital and complex world.
