IDR Hindi

ASER

Unpacking insights from the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) and what it means for children’s learning outcomes in rural India.

A woman taking a survey of a girl child
February 20, 2024
“Is my child correct”: Reflections from ASER’s 2023 survey
by Angel Mohan | 2 min read
A boy playing cricket outside a school in Odisha Gram Vikas Ajaya Behera-National Assessment Survey-ASER
November 17, 2021
How reliable is India’s learning outcomes data?
A new study assesses the reliability of both National Achievement Survey and ASER data, and makes recommendations on how they can be improved.
by Doug Johnson, Andrés Parrado | 8 min read
Students wearing uniforms sitting on benches next to each other writing-board exams
March 17, 2021
Reform board exams to improve learning outcomes
The Indian education system needs to move towards testing conceptual understanding rather than rote learning in its board exams.
by Doug Johnson, Suvojit Chattopadhyay | 4 min read
Graphic with different Indian languages
March 12, 2020
Why Indian children can’t read
How does one interpret the annual ASER results, where Grade V children can't read a Grade II textbook in their local language? Is it because of poor teaching in schools or is there something to the vernacular we are missing?
by Natasha Joshi | 6 min read
anganwadi worker teaching children-primary education
January 24, 2020
Lessons from ASER 2019
Getting early childhood education right is critical to improving learning outcomes later in life.
by Rukmini Banerji | 5 min read
Young children laughing next to a brick kiln in Sonale, India
May 28, 2019
What standardised testing doesn’t tell us about learning
When we look at learning outcomes for children, we only look at standardised tests, ignoring any indigenous knowledge, language, or problem solving strategies they might have.
by Nilesh Nimkar | 5 min read
Indian school children eating midday meal schemes-
March 19, 2019
The correlation between midday meals and learning outcomes
A study examined the effects of midday meal schemes on learning outcomes to find a steady increase in test scores initially, after which the effects 'taper off'.
by Shreya Roy Chowdhury | 5 min read
group of kids sitting on the floor
January 22, 2019
“Let us not give up on government schools”
While ASER 2018 shows a big gap in learning outcomes in private and public schools, many commentators who jump to conclusions about the state of public education make a fundamental analytical mistake.
by Rakesh Kumar Rajak, Martin Haus | 5 min read
screenshot of YouTube video EI
November 13, 2018
“Are you measuring your intervention?”
In this video, Dr Rukmini Banerji shares her insights on the challenges of assessing learning outcomes, the role of applied research, and the importance of evaluation.
by Educational Initiatives | 3 min read
blackboard chalk duster-Indian secondary schools
March 29, 2018
Learning new lessons to revive secondary education
The growing concern about India’s public secondary schools warrants the exploration of approaches that prioritise learning over schooling.
by Natasha Joshi | 5 min read
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