Survey finds 30.1% youth in 14-18 age group out of education system in Telangana

The survey revealed data about basic reading skills, math and English abilities, application of basic skills to everyday calculations, reading and understanding written instructions, and financial calculations that need to be done in real life.
| Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G

Telangana has the dubious distinction of having 30.1% population in the 14-18 age group outside the schooling system, according to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023 ‘Beyond Basics’. This is more than twice the national average of 13.2% outside the schooling system in the 14-18 group. The data for Telangana is extrapolated from a survey done in 59 villages in Khammam district which has 7.6% of the State’s population.

Beyond revealing these details about children out of the education system, the survey revealed data about basic reading skills, math and English abilities, application of basic skills to everyday calculations, reading and understanding written instructions, and financial calculations that need to be done in real life. The survey also studied the ownership and use of digital gadgets.

Nationally, about 25% in this age group still cannot read a Std II level text fluently in their regional language. This number is 46.25% for Telangana.

Across India, 43.3% of 14-18-year-olds can solve division (3-digit by 1-digit) problems. In Telangana, the number drops to 19.75% who can do these calculations. Only 43.2% youth in the age group of 14-18 could read sentences in English in Telangana.

These are some of the other findings of a national survey in Telangana:

62.3% of the female students in the age group of 17-18 can read Standard 1 level text and answer three out of four questions. Only 46.1% of the male students could perform the same task.

Nationally, close to 90% have a smartphone at home, In Telangana 74.9% people in the age group of 14-18 had similar access. But only 38.5% could do digital tasks like setting an alarm, use maps, search the name of the first woman president of India and share a video of ‘PMGDISHA module 1’.

While India appears to be riding a digital wave with easy availability of hand-held gadgets and computers, the survey found the reality to be different. “Availability of a computer/laptop in the households is much lower, with only 9% having one at home. Youths who have a computer/laptop at home are much more likely to know how to use it (85%) than those who do not (33.9%),” is one of the findings of the survey.