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Punjab News: Government Schools Show Strong Learning and Enrollment Gains: ASER Report

Punjab News: Government schools in Punjab are witnessing positive trends in learning and enrollment, with reading and arithmetic skills improving faster between 2022 and 2024 compared to private schools

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Neha Kumari
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Punjab News: Government schools in Punjab are witnessing positive trends in learning and enrollment, with reading and arithmetic skills improving faster between 2022 and 2024 compared to private schools, according to the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) released by Pratham.

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The report highlights that preschool enrollment has increased across all age groups (3 to 5 years), with a notable rise in government pre-primary institutions.

“The percentage of children who can do at least subtraction in Grade 3 has risen from 44.8% in 2022 to 51.1% in 2024. This improvement is driven primarily by government schools, while private schools have shown a slight decline,” said Banishwar Singh, manager at Pratham’s Measurement, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit.

High Digital Penetration Among Punjab’s Students

Punjab is also leading in digital access and literacy compared to the national average. The ASER report reveals:

96.2% of children aged 14-16 have smartphone access at home, higher than the all-India figure of 89.1%.

87.8% of Punjab’s children in this age group can set an alarm on their smartphones, compared to 76.9% nationally.

85.4% can browse information, while the national figure stands at 79.3%.

92.5% can find a YouTube video, outperforming the national average of 87%.

Preschool Enrollment and Post-Covid Shift Towards Government Schools

A key achievement for Punjab is its preschool enrollment rate, which stands at 85%, making significant strides toward the National Education Policy’s (NEP) universal preschool access goal.

At age 3, 85.9% of children in Punjab are enrolled in preschool, higher than the national average of 77.4%.

More children are attending government preschools, such as anganwadi centers, than ever before.

The report also highlights a post-Covid shift in school enrollment. Before the pandemic:

52.2% of children in Punjab were in private schools, while 46.7% attended government schools.

By 2022, government school enrollment increased to 58%, with private school enrollment dropping to 41.3%.

In 2024, despite economic recovery, 58% of children continue to enroll in government schools, demonstrating growing trust in public education.

Improvement in Reading and Arithmetic Skills

Government schools in Punjab are also leading in academic progress.

In 2022, 33% of Grade 3 students in government schools could read a Grade 2-level text.

This percentage rose to 34.2% in 2024, indicating gradual but steady improvement.

The ASER report suggests that Punjab’s government schools are driving significant improvements in learning, digital literacy, and enrollment, reinforcing their role in shaping the state's educational landscape.

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