Moa Jamir
The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) for 2023 paints a comprehensive picture of educational and learning outcomes in Nagaland. While there are commendable achievements surpassing national trends, certain disconcerting departures demand nuanced attention.
On a positive note, the survey showcased high proficiency in reading English and Standard II level text among the rural youth in Nagaland aged 14 to 18 years outperforming their counterparts across India. Notably, 97.3% of surveyed Nagaland youth demonstrated smartphone proficiency, exceeding the national average of 92.1%. This proficiency extends to digital tasks (77.7%) and finding specific YouTube videos (86.9%).
Despite widespread smartphone usage, a notable concern arises as over 93.4% of Nagaland’s youth predominantly use their smartphones for social media over educational purposes, contrasting with the national average of 90.5%. Only 66.1% engage in education-related activities, indicating a potential underutilisation of digital resources.
In the 14-16 years bracket, a mere 14.1% reported having "ever accessed any online service," but engagement in entertainment-related activities online during the reference week was notably high at 91.4%. Further, a significant portion lacks organic digital proficiency, with nearly 40% unable to set an alarm and a mere 12.5% being able to use Google Maps.
While lower-level arithmetic skills in Nagaland surpassed the national average in 2022, the 14-18 age group in 2023 exhibits concerning trends. Only 32.3% can perform division, and a mere 30% demonstrate competence in everyday calculations, falling short of national averages.
Moreover, nearly 18% of Nagaland’s youth were enrolled in any formal educational institution, surpassing the national average of around 13%. For ASER survey, ‘Not enrolled’ includes youth who never enrolled or have dropped out midway. This reflects the persistent high rate of dropout rate in Nagaland at secondary and higher secondary level. For instance, the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2021-22 report also highlighted high dropout rate in the Secondary (Class 9-10) level at 17.5%, a huge spike from 4% in Upper Primary level (Class 6-8).
Although a certain level of individuals leaving formal education is anticipated as one progresses up the educational ladder due to diverse factors, the sustained high dropout rate necessitates a comprehensive analysis of all potential contributing factors with targeted interventions.
Besides, ASER 2023 highlights a low level of vocational training among Nagaland’s youth at 1.5%, compared to the national average of 5.6% while work engagement, excluding household chores, for at least 15 days prior to the survey is higher nationally (33.7%) than in Nagaland (29.8%).
Crucially, it should be noted that the survey conducted in Nagaland in Kohima district, encompassing 590 youths in 508 rural households across 60 villages and the results taken as representative of the entire state, mirroring the national scenario. However, considering Kohima’s relative educational affluence as well as other infrastructural resources and avenues, a subpar performance in this district implies potentially graver outcomes in other less-endowed districts.
The report itself highlighted that while schools with Std VIII per 100000 population was lesser for Kohima at 57, than the State-level of 70, the district had better average in terms Std IX-X at 37 against 35 across Nagaland. Additionally, schools offering Standard XI-XII per lakh population in Kohima stood at an impressive 15, nearly doubling the State’s average of 9.
Thus, the revelations from ASER 2023 regarding Nagaland present crucial insights that necessitate meticulous attention and strategic interventions. Key areas requiring focused efforts include enhancing the effective utilisation of digital skills, addressing dropout issues, expanding vocational opportunities, and implementing measures to bolster arithmetic proficiency.
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