Almost half of J-K’s students have no access to online classes: Survey
According to the findings of the survey, the percentage of students aged 6 to 14 enrolled in government schools has decreased from 57 percent to 55 percent.
A recent poll that looked at children’s enrolment in schools and their access to smart phones revealed a digital divide among kids in J-K UT and Ladakh.
According to the ‘Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)-Rural 2021’, a national survey performed in September-October this year, 72% of students in J-K have a smartphone at home, but only 40 percent have access to it for their studies.
The purpose of ASER-2021 survey
The study was performed to investigate patterns of enrolment and dropout among 5-16 year-olds in rural India, as well as trends in kids taking paid tuition classes to supplement their education, according to the annual report’s contents.
The purpose of the poll was to see if households have smartphones and tablets and, if so, if children have access to them. The poll also looked at how families help their children at home once schools reopen, according to the survey.
Percentage of ‘out of school children’ increased multifold
However, according to the poll, around 15.6 percent of J-K students do not have access to smartphones at home for their studies.
According to the ASER-2021, the number of ‘out of school children’ between the ages of 6 and 14 years has increased from 1.2 percent in 2018 to 6% in 2021.
According to the survey’s findings, the proportion of children enrolled in government schools between the ages of 6 and 14 has declined from 57 percent to 55 percent.
Government schools witnessed large enrolment increase
The study also looked at national perceptions of changes in enrolment trends in public and private schools.
The most significant shift in enrollment is a large increase in government school enrolment, which is offset by a decrease in private school attendance. According to the poll, the growth in government school enrolment is across the board — all age groups, grades, and for both boys and girls.
It goes on to say that the reduction in private school enrolment began in 2020, when it fell from 32.5 percent in 2018 to 28.8 percent for children aged 6 to 14. However, government school enrolment remained stable at around 65% — the reduction in private school enrollment was accompanied by more children not being enrolled in school rather than a transfer to government schools, the report states.
Majority of students study through traditional means of education
According to the poll, around 60.7 percent of government and private school pupils receive help from family members when studying at home.
Despite the fact that all schools for offline classes have been closed for the past two years, the majority of students are still obtaining their education through traditional ways, according to the poll.
Around 55 percent of students performed their studying at home using traditional methods, 13 percent used televised classes, and 28.9% studied online.
The survey, while looking at the availability of textbooks for children during the school closures caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, states that almost 95% of students in both public and private schools have textbooks for their present grade.
