The summary of Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) released in January 2023 and published in the media learning outcomes of government elementary schools in the last two COVID-affected years have gone further down in Rajasthan. News story in the TOI-Jaipur carried out on January 19, 2023 stated, “Learning outcomes in the government schools (of Rajasthan) touched the lowest mark in the past 10 years...Now just 4.9% students of class 3 could solve simple subtraction sums as against 8.1% students in 2018...The reading levels have come down significantly with 7.7% of students of class 2 who can read class 2 textbook.”
In Rajasthan, at grade level eight, the age-grade appropriate performance in maths during the year 2022, went down from low 37.5% to dismal 32.7% as compared to the status of 2018.
The report also says the educational experts are shocked by lowest ever learning outcomes and have suggested intensive efforts for ‘another 2-3 years to match the pre-COVID levels of learning outcomes.
Some of the implications of the drastically fallen learning outcomes are in the form of following two to the months for grade 1-3 weak students are as follows.
1. Remedial summer vacation courses for 7-8 hours daily for grade 1 and 2 promoted students as designed learning packages to be implemented by trained teachers by involving NGOs and community leaders
2. Zero-hour periods before and after the school hours on hard spots of learning on session-wise payment basis
3. Bridge school courses for the non-starter drop-out to ensure mainstreaming of such students since the main cause of dropping out is poor achievement levels
It is being felt that the urgent need thrown up by the ASER can be fulfilled with the funders, NGOs and UN Agencies like UNCEF, ILO, etc., proactively support the specially designed interventions in the remedial learning packages.
For full report visit the following link
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