Pratham’s Annual State of Education Report (ASER) 2009 was launched last week. ASER is a path breaking effort at monitoring outcomes and pushing for accountability from government for monies spent. The report is based on a study of 575 rural districts in India and covered 16,291 villages, 338,027 households and 6,91,734 children. The annual survey found that while 96% of children in rural India in the age group of 6-14 years are now enrolled in school, the quality of education is still quite poor with just 69% of Class I students in rural areas being able to recognize numbers between 1 and 9. The report also points to the rise in private tuitions across the country. From 2007-2009, the percentage of children taking tuition classes in every class in government and private schools. To know more about the report and its findings click on the news links below:

The Times of India:”More children going to school: Pratham report”
The Times of India: “Only 38% of class V students in rural India can divide”
The Indian Express: “More students taking tuitions, says study”
The Economic Times:”Rural education remains poor“