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STATE OF ADOLESCENT LEARNING
What the article is about?
- Talks about the state of adolescent learning by analysing the ASER and other related studies, along with considering the impact of the pandemic.
Syllabus: GS-II Social Justice – education, gender equality
State of learning:
- Successive Annual Status of Education Reports (ASER) have shown that the massive government drive to push for universal enrolment, extending to secondary as well as primary school children, has been largely successful for both age groups
- Although efforts have been made by parents, teachers and governments, learning at home through online education during the pandemic has been far from successful for these children.
- ASER 2020 and 2021 brought to light a dismal picture of access to technology-based learning resources.
- Even though over 70% of children in Classes IX to XII had a smartphone at home, only about 35% of them could use it for studies at all times, while 17% could not use it at all.
- The ASER reports show adolescents did not fare well- older children received less learning support as compared to younger ones.
- Additionally, some children- especially older girls- faced competing demands due to financial stress and increased requirement of care work at home.
- Even in 2017, ASER had reported that almost 90% of female youth aged 14-18 did housework on a daily basis, compared to 3/4 of male youth.
- According to the Building Back Better report by UNICEF, school closures exacerbated girls’ and women’s unpaid care work, limiting the time available to learn at home.
- In all age categories, girls were more likely than boys to be taking on this additional burden.
- Gender disparity at home may have been aggravated in the pandemic, but it is not new.
- ASER 2017 had found that 14–18-year-old youth’s aspirations were gendered, with male youth mentioning army/police, engineer while females preferring teacher, nurse/doctor.
- The kind of work children did during lockdowns shows that they are exposed to gendered expectations from a young age.
- A study using ASER, India Human Development Survey and National Family Health Survey data suggest that long before the pandemic, gender disparity had started spilling over into learning outcomes too.
Way Ahead:
- Urgent need to integrate gender sensitisation modules into curricula for adolescents’ education.
- School-based gender sensitisation programmes can play a transformative role in ensuring that all children get an equitable environment to grow.
- Attitude change Programmes in Haryana – showed promising results, with participants exhibiting gender-equitable behaviours even two years after the programme ended.
