ASER 2024: 57% of teens continue using devices for education, demand for multilingual digital content

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 surveyed 649,491 children aged 5–16 across 605 rural Indian districts, covering 17,997 villages using the 2011 census framework to randomly select households. Facilitated by Pratham and local organisations, the study assessed foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) skills, revealing a full recovery from post-pandemic learning losses.

In Tagore’s tales of education, a child bride of only nine years, Uma learns to write against the wishes of her family, and once her in-laws find out, they destroy her books. The yearning of children persists but the means of a broken system minus most of the social evils, at least on paper, bog down the efforts. The reflection is evident in the latest findings of ASER 2024, there are abundance of resources and ways to educate, many who seek education but the conversion on-ground remains abysmal.  The recent report highlighted an uptick in enrollment and pre-covid recovery but some findings show that the education system has a long way to go. Two sections of importance are the tests which measure reading and arithmetic levels show the dire state of the literacy levels, or the lack thereof in the country. 

When it came to basic reading, a shocking 70% of Std I students cannot read words, can only read letters. Out of this 31.9% cannot even read a letter. There’s more: 47.8% cannot read words in Std II, 53% of the students in Std III could not read texts of classes below them, 60% of students in Std IV could not read Std II-level text, only 71% of Std VIII students can read Std II-level text, and 15.2% can read Std I level text but not Std II level text. The data highlights a recovery from post-pandemic learning losses but the ‘pre-covoid recovery’ is not evident reading. In 2018, the figure of Std V children who can read a Std II was at 50.5%, this fell to 42.8% in 2022, and recovered to only 48.8% in 2024.

When it comes to arithmetics, the proportion of children in Std III able to do at least subtraction is at 22.3%, only 11.4% can do basic division. Similarly, in Std V the proportion of children able to do at least division stands at 30.7%. In Std VII, there are still 4.9% of students who cannot recognise numbers beyond 9 and shockingly, in std II, this number stands at 33.5% . 

However, it is not all stark, government and private school enrolment has returned to 2018 levels, confirming that the Covid-era surge in government school admissions was driven by necessity rather than choice. ASER 2024 shows school enrolments returned to 2018 levels, indicating the pandemic-driven shift to government schools stemmed from necessity, not preference. States like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu achieved over 10% gains in foundational skills. The report credits directives, teacher training, and school readiness programmes for 75% of government schools implementing FLN-focused initiatives.

Digital literacy and access
ASER 2024 highlights the rapid rise of digital literacy among rural adolescents, marking a significant shift in how young learners access information and engage with technology. Smartphone penetration in rural households has grown from 36% in 2018 to 84% in 2024. In Bihar, 82.1% of adolescents in this age group own a smartphone, close to the national average of 89.1%.

Access vs Education 
Despite these advancements, disparities remain in how digital literacy translates into educational benefits. While 82.2% of adolescents know how to use smartphones, only 57% use them for education, as compared to 76% for social media.
When it comes to basic tasks, 79.3% can browse for information, 87% locate specific videos, and 92.1% share content via WhatsApp/Telegram. Safety awareness lags, with 62% knowing how to block profiles and 55.2% understanding privacy settings.

Key for printing industry
While smartphone access is nearly universal, only about half of students deploy them for learning. The pandemic accelerated digital adoption, with smartphones becoming a primary medium for accessing texts, worksheets, and virtual training. These digital habits have persisted—57% of teens continue using devices for education, though AI-driven tools now gain traction. The report highlights sustained demand for bite-sized, multilingual digital content (e.g., videos, translated texts), signalling opportunities for publishers to innovate in hybrid learning formats.

Call for action
Following the Budget announcements, industry leaders in India’s edutech sector called for targeted policy measures. Prateek Maheshwari, co-founder, PhysicsWallah urged public-private partnerships with edtech firms to bridge gaps in broadband connectivity for government schools and expand access to digital learning. Meanwhile, Gaurav Bhagat, founder, Gaurav Bhagat Academy, stressed the need for enhanced teacher training and industry collaborations to align skilling with global job demands.

Sandeep Rai, founder, The Circle India pressed policymakers to prioritise foundational literacy, capacity-building, and innovation to sustain momentum toward India’s 2047 goals. Kadwin Pillai,  managing director, Transworld Educare, acknowledged the 75,000 additional medical seats planned over five years but stresses the need for practical training facilities. "It's not just about adding seats; we need to ensure sufficient operational facilities for hands-on medical training," he says.