46.9% school children aged 14-16 able to use smartphone in AP: ASER survey
Vijayawada:School-going children aged between 14 and 16 years in Andhra Pradesh are able to use a smartphone and 47% of them own it as per a survey carried out in digital literacy for AP’s Annual Status of Education Report (Rural).
Some 94% of children in the above age-group are acquainted with the smartphone at their homes and 88% of them are able to use it.
Some 82% of the children who know how to use a smartphone are using this for browsing social media platforms while 66% are using it for education-related activity.
Some 71% of children are using smartphones to perform digital tasks. Of them, 86% are setting an alarm, 80% are browsing it for information, 86% are finding a YouTube video and 98% are able to share the video with others.
With regard to the observations in 352 schools visited by the survey team in 2024, the total enrolment was recorded at 70.8% in primary schools and 16.5% in upper primary or higher schools. When the student and teacher attendance on the day of visit was listed in 202 schools, it was 91.5% attendance for children and 86.5% for teachers on average.
Among school facilities in 2024, mid-day meal served on the day of visit was recorded at 98.6%, drinking water availability in schools at 55.9% cent, toilet facility at 78.4%, girls’ toilets which are separate facility 77.2%, library books being used by children on day of visit to an extent of 67%, electricity connection at the level of 97.7% and non-availability of computer in school to the extent of 80.8%.
On the Foundation Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) activities during the year 2024, the survey noted that some 75.9% of the schools received the directive from the government to implement FLN activities for Classes I-II/III. It is 68.9% for upper primary or higher schools in the current academic year 2024-25.
On distribution of uniforms for 2022 and 2024, it was 100% for all grades. On providing physical education, weekly time allotted for physical education for every class is 90%, separate teacher 35.8%, any other teacher 45%, and no teacher 19.3%.
Some 86% of the surveyed schools are having a playground while 90% schools are having sports equipment available for children to practise and play.
