Gujarat: 63% of rural teens use phones for studies' says report

The Annual Status of Education (ASER) Report 2023 - Beyond Basics, released on Wednesday, offers a glimpse into the lives of Gujarat's rural teenagers aged 14 to 18 years, and paints a particularly intriguing picture.

The overall proportion of unenrolled youths aged 14-18 years in Mehsana is 22.7% while the proportion of boys and girls aged 14 to 16 who are not enrolled is 13.8%.

This proportion rises to 40% for boys and 38.3% for girls among those aged 17 to 18.

Around 1,300 teenagers were surveyed in 60 villages of Mehsana for the report.

While 77% are enrolled in schools, nearly a quarter have already dropped out, with boys leading the numbers. 

When asked to read a Class 2 textbook, 87.3% teens managed the task, while 51% could perform basic division.

At the same time, 63% teens watched videos related to studies, exchanged notes on messaging apps while 93.6% used social media sites.