53% of youth struggle with basic maths: study

Even simple skills such as reading and telling time are worryingly lacking, according to the Annual Status of Education Report

While 74.6% of youth between the ages of 14 and 18 in Madurai were found to be able to read full sentences, nearly 53% were not able to divide numbers, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2017 has indicated.

The survey throws light on the enrolment and basic learning abilities of young students across the country.

The report, which was released on Tuesday, focussed on the theme ‘Beyond Basics’ where youth from selected districts across the country were surveyed on the basis of four domains — activity, ability, awareness and aspirations.

In Tamil Nadu, the survey was carried out in 925 households across 60 villages in Madurai district. As many as 1,044 youth participated in the study.

Reading deficit

The report indicated that 28% of the youth surveyed in the district could not understand three out of four instructions given to them. “While several initiatives are being taken to improve the reading and writing skills at the elementary level in rural schools, teachers should also ensure that they do not stick to the textbooks alone and involve students in more practical exercises, which will improve comprehension,” said Jim Jesudoss, executive director of Sakthi Vidiyal, an NGO based in Madurai.

Incidentally, the Minister for School Education K.A. Sengottaiyan announced on Tuesday that English newspapers would be distributed to 31,322 schools across the State to improve the reading and comprehension levels of students.Among the tasks given as part of the survey pertaining to general knowledge, 42.2% of the youth in Madurai could not identify their State on a map. Even across the country, 42% of the youth could not identify their States, the report revealed.With regard to daily tasks, nearly 33% of the youth surveyed, most of whom were above Class IX or X, were unable to tell time and nearly 54% of them were unable to calculate time as well.

REFERENCE:http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/53-of-youth-struggle-with-basic-maths-study/article22452570.ece