Kerala remains ahead in reading comprehension, Tamil Nadu has made progress in school facilities, and Karnataka shows steady improvement across different areas. Meanwhile, the Telugu states – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana – lag behind their southern neighbours.
Published Jan 29, 2025 | 4:30 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 29, 2025 | 4:42 PM
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India’s education system is rebounding from the disruptions of the pandemic. The latest Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2024 shows rural children improving in basic reading and maths skills.
The southern states are following different paths in this recovery. Kerala stands out for strong reading levels and digital access, Tamil Nadu for better school infrastructure, and Karnataka for balanced progress. Andhra Pradesh has improved in maths, and Telangana in digital literacy, but both still lag in other areas.
Together, they reflect a wider trend across India: efforts to strengthen basic learning, increase school enrolment, and improve facilities in rural areas.
Since the pandemic, children’s learning has been improving, but progress is uneven across subjects and states.
In reading, Kerala leads, with 46 percent of Std III students able to read at grade level. Tamil Nadu’s government school students have improved significantly, from 4.8 percent in 2022 to 13.2 percent in 2024. Karnataka stands at 15.4 percent, and Andhra Pradesh has improved from 10.3 percent to 15.5 percent. Telangana has seen the slowest growth, with reading levels rising only slightly, from 5.2 percent in 2022 to 6.3 percent in 2024.
Arithmetic shows a different pattern. Andhra Pradesh leads in basic subtraction skills for Std III students, improving from 33.6 percent in 2022 to 44 percent in 2024. Kerala, despite its strong performance overall, has declined in maths, from 38.6 percent to 32.6 percent. Tamil Nadu has made the biggest improvement, rising from 11.2 percent to 27.7 percent. Karnataka has moved from 22.2 percent to 25.9 percent, and Telangana from 28.7 percent to 31 percent.
Across all five states, girls are catching up faster than boys in reading, especially in older age groups, though gender gaps vary between states and grades.
The type of school children attend varies by state. In Kerala, where literacy levels of parents are generally high, only 44.5 percent of rural students go to government schools, while 54 percent study in private schools. Private school enrolment increases with age, from 54.9 percent among 7-10-year-olds to 64.5 percent among 15-16-year-olds.
In contrast, Karnataka has a much stronger public school system, with 71.1 percent of rural students attending government schools and only 28.5 percent in private schools. Tamil Nadu is similar, with 68.7 percent in government schools and one of the smallest gaps between urban and rural school choices.
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have a mix of public and private schools competing for students. But, private school enrolment has grown over the years and now stands at 39 percent, especially in semi-urban areas.
School infrastructure again varies widely across states. Tamil Nadu leads in access to drinking water, with 77.7 percent of schools having water facilities, followed by Karnataka (66.8 percent), Kerala (57.3 percent), Andhra Pradesh (55.9 percent), and Telangana (53.2 percent).
Having usable toilets for girls is a key factor in keeping them in school. Kerala has the highest percentage (82.5 percent), followed by Tamil Nadu (77.5 percent), Karnataka (77.7 percent), and Andhra Pradesh (77.2 percent). Telangana is slightly behind, at 73.7 percent.
Access to computers is still poor in many schools. Tamil Nadu is ahead, with 28.5 percent of schools having computers available for students. Kerala (14.9 percent) and Karnataka (13.8 percent) follow, but in Andhra Pradesh (9.3 percent) and Telangana (3.9 percent), most schools lack working computers.
Library access also varies. Andhra Pradesh (67.0 percent) and Tamil Nadu (64.3 percent) have the most schools with books in use. Karnataka and Telangana are close behind, at about 56 percent. Surprisingly, Kerala has the lowest figure, at just 20.6 percent.
Smartphones have become a key learning tool in rural India, especially after the pandemic.
Among 14-16-year-olds, almost all households in Kerala (99.1 percent) have a smartphone. Telangana (96.0 percent), Karnataka (94.5 percent), Andhra Pradesh (93.8 percent), and Tamil Nadu (92.2 percent) are not far behind. However, personal smartphone ownership is much lower. In Telangana, 34.3 percent of children own a smartphone, followed by Tamil Nadu (32.7 percent), Kerala (29.1 percent), and Karnataka (26.2 percent).
Meanwhile, boys are more likely than girls to own a smartphone. In Telangana, 39 percent of boys have one, compared to 29 percent of girls. The pattern is similar in Tamil Nadu (35.1 percent boys vs 30.5 percent girls) and Karnataka (28.1 percent boys vs 24.5 percent girls). Kerala shows a bigger gap, with 33.4 percent of boys and 25.3 percent of girls owning phones.
Smartphones use for education also varies across states. In Kerala, 82.4 percent of students reported using a smartphone for learning in the previous week, followed by Karnataka (64.4 percent), Tamil Nadu (65.3 percent), and Telangana (61.1 percent). Kerala’s students are also the most confident in digital skills, such as setting alarms (94.8 percent), searching for information (87.2 percent), and sharing content (99.5 percent). Other states show lower skill levels.
Awareness of digital safety also varies. In Kerala, 84.4 percent of students know how to block or report social media profiles, and 80.5 percent can change their passwords. Tamil Nadu follows at 74.2 percent and 68.5 percent, while Telangana (67.2 percent and 62.0 percent) and Karnataka (52.3 percent and 51.8 percent) lag behind.
The southern states have rolled out Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) policies differently, with mixed results.
In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, nearly 90 percent of primary schools have received government instructions to implement FLN activities in 2024-25. Telangana (76.4 percent) and Andhra Pradesh (75.9 percent) follow, while Kerala has the lowest coverage (24.1 percent).
Teacher training also varies. For in-person training, Tamil Nadu leads (87.3 percent), followed by Karnataka (72.3 percent), Telangana (72.2 percent), and Andhra Pradesh (59.5 percent). Kerala, again, has the lowest coverage (16 percent). Online training follows a similar pattern, with Tamil Nadu (76.2 percent) ahead, followed by Karnataka (67.2 percent), Telangana (42.8 percent), and Kerala (6 percent).
The distribution of learning materials shows another gap. Tamil Nadu provides the most support, with 87.3 percent of schools receiving materials for FLN activities. Telangana (60.4 percent), Andhra Pradesh (59.5 percent), and Karnataka (59.4 percent) follow, while Kerala has much lower coverage (28.7 percent).
School readiness programmes for Std I students have been introduced at different levels. Telangana leads with 89.5 percent of schools running these programmes, followed by Karnataka (86.6 percent), Tamil Nadu (44.5 percent), and Kerala (34.6 percent). In the 2023-24 academic year, Karnataka (84.6 percent), Telangana (88.8 percent), and Tamil Nadu (43.8 percent) either maintained or slightly increased coverage.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
