Guwahati: The Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2024, released by NGO Pratham, has revealed substantial improvements in India’s education sector.
The survey, which covered 6,49,491 children across 17,997 villages in 605 rural districts, found significant gains in reading and arithmetic levels among school children.
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Key highlights of the report include improved reading and arithmetic levels among children in all grades, with significant increases in Classes 1 to 3.
Increased preschool coverage, with 77.4% of rural children aged 3 enrolled in some kind of early childhood education program was also highlighted in the report.
It added enhanced digital literacy among older children, with over 90% of rural adolescents having access to a smartphone.
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The report also noted that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has led to structural changes in the education sector, with a focus on achieving universal Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN).
The government’s National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Bharat initiative, launched in 2021, aims to achieve universal FLN at the end of Class 3 by 2026-27.
Budget considerations and recruitment of specially trained teachers are also crucial for achieving quality ECCE.