Teachers in rural areas need more online training, reveals ASER survey
The findings of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2020 (Rural) Wave 1 – the first-ever phone-based survey – come amid the Covid-19 outbreak, which led to a spike in digital learning
A survey has found that training of teachers in rural areas leaves a lot to be desired. The findings of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2020 (Rural) Wave 1 – the first-ever phone-based survey – come amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, which led to a spike in digital learning.
According to the report released on Wednesday, around 50% of the teachers surveyed in the rural areas did not receive any form of training and 68.8% received perfunctory training based on brief instructions.
Also read | Post-lockdown, schools gear up to usher in a lot of changes
Of this 68.8% who received training, 32.2% had comparatively elaborate online or physical sessions; 7.5% completed an online course and 4.4% had undergone some form of initiation into teaching.
Data showed that at 50.6%, teachers who taught between Grades III to V were the best trained. Most teachers were in possession of phone numbers of at least 50% of their students.
The latest ASER findings also cited a trend amid the Covid-19 pandemic. There has been a “small shift” in the enrolment pattern of students from private schools to government-run institutions.
“As compared to data from ASER 2018, data from ASER 2020 (September) show a small shift in enrolment from private to government schools, across all grades and among both girls and boys. The proportion of boys enrolled in government schools rose from 62.8% in 2018 to 66.4% in 2020. Similarly, the proportion of girls enrolled in government schools rose from 70% to 73% during the same period,” the report said.
The survey covered 118,838 households, where phone calls were made to parents of children aged between five and 16 years. Altogether, 8,963 teachers’ responses were also recorded in the survey.
Recommended Topics 
