The gap in arithmetic skills in the 14-16 age group was 76.9 per cent and 81.5 per cent for 17 to 18 year olds.

At 61.3 per cent, more than half of 14 to 18 year old youths in the district could not read simple sentences in English.

The number was 65 per cent for students aged between 14 and 16 years and is 57.7 per cent for students aged from 17 to 18 years.

About 38.38 per cent of the students in the 14-18 year age group could not read and understand written instructions, the survey showed.

The report also highlighted that 34.4 per cent of students aged from 14 to 18 years could not read basic Class-2 level text in Bengali language. In the 14 to 16 year age group, the figure was 36.7 per cent and 32.10 per cent among 17 to 18 year old students.

The ASER 2023 report evaluated the ability of youths to apply basic arithmetic and reading skills to everyday calculations, reading, understanding written instructions, financial calculations and digital awareness. The survey was conducted in 28 districts across 26 states which resulted in the interaction with 34,745 youths in the 14-18 year age group.

For West Bengal, the findings were based on data from 1,361 youths from 1,200 households in 60 villages in Cooch Behar district in north Bengal.

The ASER report found that 90.4 per cent of the surveyed students aged between 14 and 18 are enrolled in educational institutions.

As per ASER 2022 report, students’ enrollment in the 6-14 years age group in the government schools of West Bengal was an all-time high of 92.2% – the highest among all the states in India – in 2022.