Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2020: Wave 1

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) is a nationwide household survey on children’s education and learning outcomes conducted across rural India. Children aged 3-16 years are surveyed based on pre-school and school enrolment, and those between the age of 5-16 years are assessed individually on reading and basic arithmetic skills. While the survey has been conducted yearly since 2005, ASER has been following an alternate year cycle since 2016 – the main report is released every two years with the intervening years dedicated to specific topics of interest.ASER 2020 focuses on the impact of school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic on children’s education in rural India. It studies students’ access to learning materials and resources required for online education. The sample-based study was coordinated by Mumbai-based non-governmental organisation Pratham, and carried out by 1,514 volunteers from NGOs, colleges, universities, district-level educational institutes and teacher training institutes, among other entities. The survey was conducted through telephonic interviews and covered 584 districts in 26 states and four union territories. A total of 52,227 households and 8,963 schools were examined.The 169-page report is divided into seven chapters: Partners and volunteers, Supporters, Special thanks (chapter 1); About Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2020 Wave 1 (chapter 2); Commentary (chapter 3); About ASER (chapter 4); ASER 2020 Wave 1 (Rural) findings – India (chapter 5); ASER 2020 Wave 1 (Rural) findings – State Estimates (chapter 6); and ASER 2020 Wave 1 process documents (chapter 7).