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Journalism of Courage
Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024: About 82.2 per cent of teenagers aged 14-16 know how to use a smartphone, however, only 57 per cent engage in an educational activity on their device, while 76 per cent used it for social media during the same period, shows the latest edition of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) released today, January 28.
The ASER report offers critical insights into the state of education across India. It is widely regarded as the benchmark for assessing foundational learning outcomes and enrollment trends, draw from an “extensive survey of rural and urban households.”
For the first time in the nationwide household survey, ASER included a section on digital literacy which was administered to older children in the 14-16 age group. It included self-reported questions on access, ownership, and use of smartphones, as well as a one-on-one assessment of some basic digital skills.
Smartphone access among adolescents aged 14-16 is almost universal, with nearly 90% of both boys and girls reporting that their households own a smartphone. Over 80 per cent of these adolescents also report knowing how to use a smartphone, although a gender gap persists with 85.5 per cent of boys compared to 79.4 per cent of girls. However, states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh lag behind the national averages in both smartphone ownership and usage capabilities.
Although smartphone use for educational purposes was comparable between boys and girls, the former were more likely to report using social media (78.8% of boys versus 73.4% of girls). Kerala stood out prominently, with over 80 per cent of children using smartphones for educational activities and more than 90 per cent for social media engagement.
Smartphone ownership among 14-16-year-old students is relatively low but rises with age. Among children who could use a smartphone, 27 per cent of 14-year-olds and 37.8% of 16-year-olds reported owning one. A significant gender gap persists, with 36.2 per cent of boys owning a smartphone compared to 26.9 per cent of girls. This disparity is consistent across all states.
More than three-quarters of children successfully completed tasks using a smartphone, such as setting an alarm, searching for specific information, and locating a YouTube video. Among those who found a video on YouTube, over 90 per cent could share it. However, gender gaps were evident across all tasks, with the widest disparity in setting an alarm – 81.5 per cent of boys compared to 72.4 per cent of girls. Interestingly, in southern states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, girls either matched or outperformed boys in these tasks.
The ASER findings reveal a significant improvement in digital literacy and smartphone usage among adolescents aged 14-16 post-Covid, with increased access, enhanced digital skills, and greater engagement in educational activities compared to previous years.
The ASER survey, conducted annually since 2005, is the largest citizen-led education survey in India. It aims to provide reliable estimates of children’s enrollment and basic learning levels for every rural district in the country. The survey’s participatory model involves thousands of volunteers and is conducted in collaboration with local institutions. ASER survey reached 6,49,491 children in 17,997 villages across 605 rural districts in India. Facilitated by Pratham, in each surveyed district, a local organisation or institution conducted the survey.
