DATA STORY: Indian teen's math problem is not child's play

Source: ASER 2017 report.

"More than half struggle with division (3 digit by 1 digit) problems. Only 43 percent are able to do such problems correctly. The ability to do division — a task that is usually done in ASER, can be thought of as a proxy for the ability to do basic arithmetic operations," the survey states.

Devil is in the Details

Teens surveyed couldn't successfully perform simple activities like counting money, adding weights and telling time.

— 76% of surveyed youth could count money correctly.

— 56% could add weights correctly in kilograms.

— 83% could get time right on the hour, but for the slightly harder task (hour and minutes) a little less than 60% got it right.

The youth surveyed also faced problems in understanding instructions on an ORS sachet.

— More than 75% can read a Std II level text fluently. But only 54% could answer at least 3 out 4 questions based on the written instructions on this ORS packet.

Warning Bell

The survey's findings ring a warning bell as India, in the coming decade, will come to supply over 'half of the increase in Asia’s potential workforce', according to a report by Deloitte LLP. India's young population won't be getting older any time soon, and to become an an economic superpower, the teens must know their numbers.

Also Read —  DATA STORY: Young India set to replace China as Asia's superpower

Currently, India has 125 million students aged between 14 and 18 years of which 86 percent are enrolled within the formal education system — 67.5 million are in Class X, 31 million in Class XI and XII and 7.5 million are pursuing undergraduate or other degree courses.

Also Read — DATA STORY: Girls are fast gaining on boys in literacy and how. Find out

Of the 107.5 million teens enrolled currently, 84 percent (90.3 million) teens who study in class X or below cannot calculate a loan repayment at the end of one year for a Rs 20,000 loan.

This reflects a dire state of education in the country, where the quality of education imparted remains poor.

India's adult literacy rate, currently at 71 percent, has shown a gradual improvement since 1981. Similarly, the number of students increased to 78.5 percent in the secondary high school, according to a 2016 report by Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Source: National University of Educational Planning & Administration.

For quite some time, the discourse around education in India revolved around these improving figures, however, the ASER 2017 report draws attention to a much serious concern — the quality of education.

"Class VII [or elementary] enrolment has doubled in past decade, rising from 11 million to 22 million. But over the years, the proportion of youth acquiring even foundational skills has been worrying low," the report said.

While enrolment increased at primary and secondary schools, the number of students opting for post elementary education declines sharply.

Damage Control

The government is making efforts to prioritise education, especially among teens. To that extent, the Centre is considering to expand the purview of Right to Education Act to 6-16 years age group from the existing 6-14 years age band.

Students drop out of schools owing to lack of infrastructure, shortage of teachers, among other reasons.

A rough estimation based on the government sources indicates that there is a shortage of 30-40 percent faculty in colleges and universities at all levels. On January 6, President Ram Nath Kovind had asked universities to fill vacant posts urgently during a meeting held with Vice Chancellors of 17 varsities.

"Vacancies should be filled quickly and urgently. Vacancies in teaching staff are unfair on students who have enrolled, and a disservice to their education," Kovind had said.

On an average, the Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) stood at 21 in 2016, according to the MHRD report. The report also stated that the PTR had remained unchanged for the past five years, indicating a shortage of teachers as India's student population grows.

Source: Ministry of Human Resource Development.

As PTR ratio plateued, private tutoring institutes have doubled in one year. According to the 2016 ASER survey, around 21.1 percent of public high school students in rural India received private tutoring in 2016.

ASER 2017 shows that nearly 40 percent students attending government schools also opt for tuition.

Another reason for enrolment decline is the lack of infrastructure at the government institutions. According to a draft report submitted by the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), fewer enrolments were recorded in government schools which lacked proper facilities like building, water, electricity, computer and so on.

Source: Central Advisory Board of Education.

Until 2015, over 50 percent of the government schools did not have electricity facility and 86 percent of them lacked computer facility, according to the report.

Apart from the missing infrastructure, there has been a stark decline in the credibility of educational institutes in India.  Like school certificates, graduation certificates too have lost credibility and meaning, as it has become harder to find employment. Fresh graduates find it hard to acquire jobs without an additional qualification.

"There was a time when university examination marks and certificates were enough to join a professional course such as medicine or engineering. By bringing in separate entrance examinations, the devaluation of university examinations was formally stamped," the report said.

The government is now taking steps to contain the damage by reworking the age criteria under RTE Act to fill these gaps and subsequently reform India's education system.

Industry body Assocham has also sought an enhanced outlay for education in the upcoming Budget 2018 and pitched for exempting higher education from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in a letter to the Finance Ministry.

"The last amendment brought in March 2017, denying tax relief for listed services for higher educational institutions, needs to be immediately withdrawn and end the untenable discrimination against higher education institutions," Assocham said in the letter. Perhaps these steps would ease the burden of fees and taxes from the students who want to study.

Rome was not built in a day, but any delay in implementing and overhauling the country's education system poses a threat.