Breaking India's Sisyphean cycle

ASER 2024 survey shows positive results. NIPUN Bharat has created momentum in education; this needs to be sustained

- Ashish Dhawan

The legend of Sisyphus from Greek mythology is widely known. The gods condemned Sisyphus to roll a massive boulder up a hill for eternity, only for it to roll back down each time he neared the top. India's policy challenges, particularly in education and employment, often seem like a Sisyphean struggle. Progress is made, yet the summit remains elusive.

For instance, while we have achieved a near 100% Gross Enrollment Rate across primary age groups of 3-10 years, learning outcomes continue to be a major concern. However, unlike Sisyphus's fate of eternal futility, India's efforts are yielding tangible milestones.

The Annual Status of Education (Rural) Report (ASER) 2024 highlights a remarkable recovery from Covid-19-induced learning loss. In 2022, only 16.3% of Class 3 students could read a simple Class 2-level text. Today, this figure stands at a far greater 23.4%. Similarly, only 26% of Class 3 children could perform basic subtraction in 2022; now this has significantly improved to 34%.

What's more, some of these metrics are at their best ever since measurements began, including the last pre-Covid assessment carried out in 2018. Government schools, where the poorest children go, have made the most progress. On the ability to read a Class 2 level text, Class 3 students in government schools improved to 23.4% now from 20.9% in 2018. On basic subtraction, it has gone up to 33.7% now from 28.2% then.