Real-time impact of lockdowns on education sector difficult to gauge, says Economic Survey

The Economic Survey states that it is difficult to assess the real-time impact of repeated lockdowns on the education sector. Here are the main education highlights from the Economic Survey 2021-22.

The Economic Survey 2021-22 found out that children in all age groups in rural areas moved out from private to government schools during the pandemic while also acknowledging that it is difficult to gauge the real-time impact of repeated lockdowns on the education sector.

The survey also suggests the closure of low-cost private schools, financial distress of parents, free facilities in government schools, and families migrating back to villages could be the probable reasons for the shift from government to private schools while highlighting the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER).

While underlining the academic disruption caused by the pandemic, the survey said, "Enrolment in the age group of 15-16 years continued to improve as the number of not enrolled children in this age group declined from 12.1 per cent in 2018 to 6.6 per cent in 2021.

"However, the percentage of children (age 6-14 years) not currently enrolled in schools' category increased from 2.5 per cent in 2018 to 4.6 per cent in 2021," it read further.

To absorb pupils migrating from private schools and from urban to rural regions, the poll recommended increased assistance for the government-run school system, such as extra teacher-pupil ratios, classroom space, and teaching-learning resources.

The survey went on to highlight the significant improvement in basic facilities in schools from 2012-13 to 2019-20, with medical check-ups recording 82.3 percent against 61.1 percent based on detailed data from 2019-20.

Schools having girls' toilets rose to 96.9 percent from 88.7 in the same period, whereas internet facilities, though significantly low, still improved from 6.2 percent to 22.3 percent.