Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2019: 'Early Years'

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) is a nationwide household survey of children’s schooling and learning, conducted yearly since 2005. Children aged 3-16 are surveyed on their enrolment status in schools, and those aged 5-16 are assessed on their ability to read simple text and do basic arithmetic. Since 2016, ASER has been following an alternate year cycle – the main report is released every two years with the intervening years taking up specific topics of interest.A child’s early years are the most crucial for brain development. It is important to highlight their needs during this critical period and address them through policy measures. Hence, ASER 2019 focuses on children aged 4-8, examining their schooling status and a range of developmental indicators. These indicators cross four domains: cognitive development, early language, early numeracy, as well as social and emotional development. The surveyed children were assessed through a set of tasks relevant to each domain.The sample-based survey for ASER 2019 was coordinated by Mumbai-based non-governmental organisation Pratham, and carried out by representatives of NGOs, colleges, universities, district-level educational institutes and teacher training institutes, among other entities. It was conducted in 26 districts across 24 states in India, covering a total of 1,514 villages, 30,425 households and 36,930 children.This 196-page report is divided into 12 chapters: Commentary (chapter 1); About ASER 2019 'Early Years' (chapter 2); ASER 2019 'Early Years' – National picture (chapter 3); All districts (chapter 4); Andhra Pradesh: Srikakulam, Assam: Kamrup (Rural), Bihar: Nalanda, Chhattisgarh: Mahasamund (chapter 5); Gujarat: Mehsana, Haryana: Hisar, Himachal Pradesh: Kangra, Jharkhand: Ramgarh (chapter 6); Karnataka: Chamarajanagar, Kerala: Thrissur, Madhya Pradesh: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: Satna, Maharashtra: Nagpur (chapter 7); Manipur: Bishnupur, Meghalaya: East Khasi Hills, Nagaland: Dimapur, Odisha: Khordha (chapter 8); Punjab: Bathinda, Rajasthan: Ajmer, Tamil Nadu: Vellore, Telangana: Karimnagar (chapter 9); Tripura: South District, Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Varanasi, Uttarakhand: Dehradun, West Bengal: Bankura (chapter 10); ASER 2019 'Early Years' – Survey process documents (chapter 11) and ASER 2019 'Early Years' – Annexures (chapter 12).