UPSC Daily Current Affairs| Prelim Bits 30-01-2025

Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2024

Why in News?

The ASER 2024 annual education report based on household surveys across 618 rural districts, reveals high enrolment but serious learning gaps in rural India, with basic reading and math skills still a challenge.

• It is a nationwide household survey that captures the status of children's enrollment and learning outcomes in rural India every year since 2005.
• It is a ground level survey released by NGO Pratham Foundation.
• Schooling status is recorded for children in the age group of 3-16, and children in the age group of 5-16 are tested on their ability to read simple text and do basic arithmetic.

Key Highlights of the report

• Enrolment & Dropouts - Over 90% of children aged 6-14 are enrolled in school.
• Hike in government school enrolment in several states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, alongside declining private school enrolment.
• But among 15-16-year-olds, nearly 8% are not in school. This dropout rate is even higher in states like Uttar Pradesh (13%), Bihar (8.6%), Assam (5%), and West Bengal (5.4%).
• Learning gaps – Despite high enrolment the report shows that only about 50% of Class 5 students can read a Class 2-level text.
• The learning gap starts early by Class 3, only 27% of children can read at the expected level, and just 22% can do simple subtraction.
• In some states, reading levels have even declined. Also, less than 30% of Class 5 students can do a basic division problem. Even in Class 8, many students struggle with fundamental arithmetic.
• States like Punjab, Kerala, and Himachal Pradesh have shown signs of improvement in reading and arithmetic skills.
• Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh continue to struggle with foundational learning.
• Digital learning gap - Over 80% of children aged 14-16 have access to a smartphone, and many are comfortable using basic digital tools.
• But the problem is only about 57% use it for educational purposes (57.7% of boys vs 50.1% of girls).
• Infrastructure gap in schools - School facilities have improved in recent years, with most schools offering essential services.
• Over 90% of schools provide mid-day meals, and nearly 80% of schools have drinking water facilities and functional toilets, though some regions still struggle with maintenance.
• However, while electricity access has expanded, library usage remains low, with many schools having books that students rarely use.
• Community and Parental Involvement –Local initiatives and support networks have helped bridge learning gaps.
• Parental involvement in learning activities at home has increased by nearly 10% since 2022.
• In states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, local initiatives have also been introduced to help bridge learning gaps.
• Top-performing states - Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab continue to lead in learning levels, with better school infrastructure and teacher training.
• Struggling states - Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh have some of the lowest learning outcomes, with students struggling in reading and math.
• Mixed results - States like Maharashtra and Gujarat have good enrolment numbers but show stagnation in learning progress.
• These state-wise differences highlight the need for region-specific policies rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

References

1. ASER Centre | ASER Report, 2024
2. India Today | ASER, 2024

Indian squid

Why in News?

The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) recently said that it decoded the gene expression pattern of Indian squid having major implications from neuroscience to environmental science.

• Scientific Name - Uroteuthis duvaucelii.
• It is also known as the Indian calamari.

• Group - It is a cephalopod species, any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda.
  • This group includes highly advanced species such as squids, octopuses, cuttlefish, and nautiluses.
• Family – Loliginidae, typically called inshore or neritic squids.
• Appearance - Indian squid has a distinctive coloration, with a light pinkish-gray body and 2 large fins on either side. They have 8 arms and 2 longer tentacles that they use to capture prey.

• Behavior - Generally, squids are extensively known for their rapid growth rate, limited lifespan, and complex population structures
• They are fast swimmers and are capable of propelling themselves through the water using a jet propulsion system.
• This allows them to reach speeds of up to 40 km/h when escaping from predators or chasing prey.
• Squids tend to prefer areas with high levels of dissolved oxygen, as this is crucial for their respiration.
• Distribution - It is distributed in the Indo-Pacific region, occurring in depths between 30 and 170 meters.
• Along the coast of India, squids are commonly found in the waters off the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Goa.
• Diet - This species is an active carnivore that feeds mainly on crustaceans and small fishes and often exhibits cannibalistic behavior.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN - Least Concern.
• Uses - Food resource, utilized as fertilizer supplemental food source for highend and expensive cultured animals.
• Other Species - Bigfin reef squid – IUCN Status - “Data Deficient”.

References

1. The Hindu | Indian squid
2. National Library of Medicine | Uroteuthis duvaucelii

Namdapha National Park

Why in News?

An elephant has been camera-trapped after 12 years, as the encroachment since 1996 blocked the jumbo migration route between Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar through Namdapha National Park.

• It is India’s easternmost tiger reserve and National park situated in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is originally declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1972 and a National Park and Tiger Reserve (15^th Tiger Project) in 1983.
• The Namdapha protected area is wedged between Dapha Bum ridge of Mishmi Hills, of North Eastern Himalayas and Patkai Ranges.
• The reserve has a common boundary with Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary (Lohit District).
• Vegetation - It consists of Northern Tropical Evergreen Forest, North Indian Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests, East Himalayan Moist Temperate Forests, Moist Alpine Scrub Forests.
• River - It lies along the Noa-Dihing river lies in the tropical rain forest.
• Flora - The Pinus merkusi and Abies delavavi are not found elsewhere in India.
• One of the rarest and endangered orchids, the Blue Vanda found here.
• The most famous local medicinal plant Mishimi Teeta (Copti teeta), is available here but its export has been banned.
• It is only park in the World to have the 4 Feline species of big cat namely
  • The Tiger (Panthera Tigris),
  • Leopard (Panthera Pardus),
  • Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) and
  • Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa) and numbers of Lesser cats.
• Primate species - Assamese macaque, pig-tailed macaque, stump-tailed macaque and Hoolock Gibbons (Hylobates Hoolock), highly endangered and only ‘ape’ species found in India dwells here.
• Birds - White winged Wood Ducks, a rare and endangered species, the great Indian hornbills, jungle fowls and pheasants.

References

1. The Hindu | Namdapha Tiger Reserve
2. Government of Arunachal Pradesh | Namdapha National Park

Inherited Retinal Diseases (IRDs)

Why in News?

According to a recent study, there is a higher prevalence of Inherited Retinal Diseases (IRDs) situation in India.

• IRDs – It is a genetic disorder, a change or a variant, in one or more genes that contribute to proper retinal function.
• Genetic mutations – It stems from mutations in more than 300 genes responsible for the function of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
• It varies significantly across different communities, and it is difficult to identify common mutations.
• Impacts – It affects the gene’s ability to do its job properly.
• The mistake gene doesn’t make a protein and cells in the retina degenerate and cause vision loss.
• Vulnerables – It affects individuals of all ages.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 2.2 billion people worldwide experience some form of vision impairment.

• Causes – Lose sight shortly after birth
  • Gradual deterioration over time
  • Progressive vision loss
  • Often resulting in blindness.
• Treatment - Gene therapy – It is for blindness caused by mutations in the RPE65 genes and treat various inherited eye disorders.
• RNA-based therapies – To restore protein production in retinal cells without altering the underlying DNA.
• Treat retinal degenerative diseases caused by single-point mutations.

Studies have revealed significantly higher prevalence, with 1 in 372 individuals in rural South India, 1 in 930 in urban South India, and 1 in 750 in rural Central India affected by these conditions.

References

1. The Hindu| IRDs Treatment & Precision Therapeutics
2. Prevent Blindness| Inherited Retinal Diseases (IRDs)