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Home / UPSC Editorials / ASER 2024

ASER 2024: Early Childhood Education Literacy in India

Last Updated on Jan 31, 2025
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The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 has brought to light the fact that preschool enrollment and foundational literacy have improved significantly in children. A survey conducted among over 6.49 lakh children in rural India shows that there is a major increase in early childhood education, especially in Anganwadi and preschool institutions. With five years of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 implementation, there is a renewed focus on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN). While the learning losses from the pandemic are gradually being overcome, strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) remains a critical area for policymakers to ensure long-term educational outcomes for children.

This editorial is based on "ASER 2024: With Increasing Preschool Enrollment, Road Ahead for Early Childhood Education," published in The Indian Express on January 18, 2025. It discusses key findings of the ASER 2024 survey, the impact of NEP 2020, and the role of ECCE in shaping India's education landscape.

The ASER 2024 report is relevant for UPSC aspirants as it covers key topics related to education policy, governance, and social development under GS-II (Governance and Social Justice). It also provides insights into policy implementation, grassroots-level education challenges, and India's progress toward achieving universal foundational literacy. Understanding ECCE and its impact on learning outcomes is crucial for answering policy-related and analytical questions in UPSC Mains and Essay papers.

Read article on the topic, National Education Policy, 2020!

Analysis based on 

Editorial ASER 2024: With increasing preschool enrollment, road ahead for early childhood education

published in The Indian Express on January 9th, 2025

Topics for UPSC Prelims

Literacy Rates, Gender Gap in Education

Topics for UPSC Mains

Educational Disparities, Women Empowerment

Why in News?

The report of ASER 2024 has pointed to an important increase in preschool enrollment and foundational literacy improvements, which reflects progress in early childhood education. As the implementation of NEP 2020 entered its fifth year, this survey's results seem to reflect India's progress in foundational literacy and numeracy. For UPSC aspirants studying education policy, governance, and social development under GS II, the report is very relevant. It provides insights into ECCE, learning outcomes at the grassroots level, and digital literacy trends. There are aspects that are crucial to understand for the questions being asked about policy implementation, human capital development, and reforms in the right inclusion of education policies in India.

Read the full article on Education under British Rule for UPSC Exam

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Key Findings of ASER 2024

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 highlights improvements in preschool enrollment, foundational literacy, and digital literacy. Covering 6.49 lakh children in 605 rural districts, it reflects progress in early education policies, particularly under National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the NIPUN Bharat Mission, which aim to strengthen early childhood learning.

Rise in Preschool Enrollment

With the result that 77.4 percent of children belonging to 3 years old age group of the rural sector today are inducted into LKG, UKG, or Anganwadi, an ECCE move forward, there has been improvement in cognitive and social preparedness; this subsequently culminates into better FLN in the latter school years.

Improvements in Learning Levels

Children in Classes 1 to 3 have improved significantly in basic reading and arithmetic skills compared to ASER 2022. This trend shows that the policies focused on FLN have been effective in reducing the learning gaps created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Digital Literacy Among Adolescents

The 2024 ASER survey recorded 90% smartphone access among rural adolescents, assessing their ability to search for information, set alarms, and use digital tools. However, gender disparities persist, with boys having slightly higher digital proficiency than girls in most surveyed regions.

Better Policy Implementation

83% of schools reported receiving government directives on FLN activities, 78% had trained teachers, and 75% received learning materials. These findings reflect the active implementation of NEP 2020 and a structured approach toward improving early education quality in government schools.

Also, read the Article Hunter Commission.

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and Its Importance

ECCE is vital for cognitive, social, and emotional development, ensuring children are ready for formal schooling. The NEP 2020 integrates ages 3-6 into the structured education system, focusing on age-appropriate learning environments that promote holistic skill development before transitioning to primary education.

Structured Entry into Class 1

The NEP 2020 mandates that children should enter Class 1 at age six to prevent cognitive overload and ensure school readiness. Early childhood programs now emphasize play-based learning, fostering curiosity, creativity, and better conceptual understanding.

Role of Anganwadis in ECCE

Over one-third of children between 3-5 years old attend Anganwadis, which becomes very important in early learning, nutrition, and health. State governments are starting specialized training programs for Anganwadi workers, which help improve learning outcomes and interaction among teachers, children, and parents.

Balanced Development Approach

ECCE emphasizes learning through interactive and experiential learning rather than rote memorization. Such activities as storytelling, games, and hands-on learning build foundational skills to help children develop their language, numeracy, and social abilities well.

Integration of Parents and Community

The distance between parents and Anganwadi workers is minimal, allowing better parental involvement in children’s education. Strengthening this community-school connection ensures continued learning at home, reinforcing concepts learned in preschool settings.

Also, study the NCERT Notes on Charter Act of 1833 from the linked article

Implementation of NEP 2020 and NIPUN Bharat Mission

The NEP 2020 and NIPUN Bharat Mission (2021) prioritize early childhood education and foundational literacy to enhance learning outcomes. ASER 2024 shows active policy execution, ensuring students achieve age-appropriate literacy and numeracy skills in early school years.

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) Goals

The NIPUN Bharat Mission aims for universal FLN by 2026–27, ensuring all children achieve basic reading and arithmetic proficiency by Class 3 (age 8). The mission supports structured curriculum improvements and teacher training to enhance learning quality.

Schools Receiving Government Directives

Thereby, over 83% of schools have received guidelines on FLNs issued by government agencies, whereby the policy ensured teachers and managers were working through foundational learning in the classroom; therefore, being a policy issue of NEP 2020 on school environment for learning may have significant ramifications.

Enhanced Learning Resources

The survey shows improved access to learning materials, books, and activity kits, supporting experiential and skill-based education in rural schools. Schools are adopting play-based learning approaches aligned with global early childhood education standards.

Monitoring and Assessment for Learning Progress

Continuous tracking of student progress through ASER data and Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) helps policymakers identify challenges, allocate resources, and refine educational strategies for effective implementation.

Study the NCERT Notes on Charter Act of 1813 here.

Challenges in Early Childhood Education

Despite these developments, issues such as teacher training, infrastructure, digital literacy, and access remain very high in the country of India for ECCE. These would need to be resolved for each child to benefit from inclusive education.

Shortage of Trained ECCE Educators

There is a limited number of teachers trained in early childhood pedagogy, impacting classroom learning quality. Specialized training programs for preschool teachers are needed to ensure effective curriculum implementation.

Infrastructure and Resource Constraints

Majority of the rural Anganwadis and preschools do not have suitable classrooms, playgrounds, and teaching tools. This will increase the quality of learning, with the child getting appropriate educational environments as per the stage of learning.

Gender Gaps in Digital Learning

While smartphone access has increased, girls lag behind boys in digital proficiency in most rural areas. Policies promoting gender-inclusive digital education are essential to bridge this gap and provide equal learning opportunities.

Budgetary Limitations for ECCE Expansion

ECCE requires sustained funding to support teacher recruitment, Anganwadi development, and digital education initiatives. Allocating higher education budgets and leveraging public-private partnerships can help scale up early childhood programs.

Way Forward for Strengthening ECCE and FLN

The only way progress is sustained is if India focuses on long-term improvement in the infrastructure of ECCE, then teacher training and finally digital integration. This would ensure policy implementation strengthens the foundational literacy and numeracy.

Expanding Teacher Training Programs

They also need specific education on the aspects of child psychology, interaction models, and ICT tools to impart knowledge effectively. Teacher Education/Training would better the preschooling and elementary level learning achievements.

Leveraging Technology for ECCE

Digital tools like learning apps, interactive videos, and AI-driven platforms can make early childhood learning engaging and effective. Expanding digital literacy programs will help children adapt to technology-enhanced education.

Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships

Collaboration with NGOs, EdTech start-ups, and corporate initiatives helps bridge gaps between funding and the allocation of ECCE resources toward ensuring equal access to learning by all children.

Community Involvement and Parent Engagement

Encouraging parental participation in children’s early education will strengthen the home-school learning connection, promoting lifelong learning habits and better cognitive development.

We hope that all your doubts regarding the National education policy 2020 will be cleared after going through this article. You can download the Testbook App now to check out various other topics relevant to the UPSC IAS Exam.

UPSC Practice Questions
  1. Discuss the major findings in the ASER 2024 report and critically analyze their implications for early childhood education in India.
  1. Analyze how the NEP, 2020, strengthened foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) in India and how the ASER 2024 report reflects such impacts.
  1. What are some of the problems in the rural Indian scenario specific to Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)? Outline key policy responses.

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