Annual status of education report shows damaging

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 Despite being part of the formal education system, half the children aged 14 to 18 are unable to
read or understand written instructions, said the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2017.

 The study covered 1,084 children in 936 households in 60 villages in Mysuru district. The report,
facilitated by Pratham, which focussed on rural areas this year, found that as much as 50.8% of
children, who were part of the survey in the 60 villages, were unable to read or understand three
out of four instructions.

 What’s more, 71.3% of the children had completed eight or more years of school/college.As part of
the pilot study of ASER’s ‘Beyond Basics’ research work, the study was conducted in 28 districts
across 24 States in India.

 Through ‘Beyond Basics’, the organisation hoped to capture data pertaining to the preparedness of
children in rural India with respect to their ability to lead productive lives as adults.

 To assess whether the children could follow written instructions, they were provided with
instructions written on an O.R.S. packet. According to the report, the questions asked based on the
test were: How many packets of O.R.S. (oral rehydration salts) should be mixed with 2 litres of
water?

 Within how many hours should the prepared mixture be consumed? How many litres of O.R.S.
solution can be given to a 21-year-old within a span of 24 hours? Can this packet be used in
December 2018?

 Several children also found it difficult to tell time. While 88.3 % could tell time with regard to what
hour of the day it was, only 67.6% could tell time in terms of hours and minutes. Also, 82.9% could
count money (86.4% male and 80.4% female).