Literacy Crisis in Rural India: 25% Teens Struggle with Grade 2 Reading, ASER Report Finds

Nearly a quarter of teenagers in rural India cannot read a second-grade-level text fluently in their native languages, raising concerns about literacy levels in the country. This alarming statistic comes from the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023, titled "Beyond Basics," released Wednesday by Pratham Foundation, an education-focused non-profit.

The survey, conducted in 28 districts across 26 states, targeted youth aged 14-18 years enrolled in both government and private schools/colleges (34,745 participants). It marks the first time this age group has been assessed in the ASER report since 2017.

While the report notes positive enrollment trends (86.8% of 14-18 year olds enrolled), it also reveals a worrying decline with age. Dropout rates climb from 3.9% at 14 years to 10.9% at 16 and 32.6% at 18.

As per the report of HT, Addressing concerns about potential pandemic-induced dropouts, the report reassures that fears of mass exodus from education "turned out to be unfounded." It acknowledges the government's significant efforts in pushing for universal secondary education, which have contributed to a steady decline in out-of-school children and youth.

However, the stark reading deficit among teens paints a troubling picture. The report details that 42.7% of surveyed youth cannot read basic English sentences, further highlighting the need for targeted interventions to address learning gaps and strengthen fundamental literacy skills.

n 2017, 76.6% of 14 to 18-year-olds demonstrated the ability to read a grade 2-level text, which slightly decreased to 73.6% in 2023. In terms of arithmetic, the report indicates that in 2017, 39.5% of youth could solve a simple (grade 3-4 level) division problem. However, in 2023, this proportion slightly increased to 43.3%. The report also highlights that more than half of the students struggle with more complex division problems (3-digit by 1-digit), a skill typically expected in class III/IV, with only 43.3% of 14 to 18-year-olds able to solve such problems correctly, HT reported.