Illiteracy in Rural India

Introduction: UNESCO has defined a literate person as “one who can with understanding both
read and writes a short simple statement on his everyday life”. Following UNESCO, the Census
Commission in India in 1991 also defined literate person as one who can read and write with
understanding in any Indian language, and not merely read and write. Literacy rate in our
country has grown up to 74% in 2011 census, from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. But if
we try to analyses the gender gap in this context; it is 82.14% for males and 65.46% for females.
This highlights a big gender gap in India in the context of average literacy rate, which is 84% in
context of world literacy parameters. Of the total illiterate people, about one-fifths is found in
this (Hindi) belt. Prof. Ashish Bose has termed the four states in the Hindi belt- Bihar, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh as BIMARU (sick). There is also a huge difference
between two states in level of literacy; Kerala being at the top with 93.91% and Bihar with
lowest rank and with 63.82% literacy rate. One of the biggest reasons for this is the lack of
teachers at primary and secondary level. The average pupil teacher ratio for all India is 42: 1
implying teacher’s shortage. Over one-third of rural India is still illiterate; i.e. 36% of 884
million people in rural India are illiterate. But out of 64% literate rural Indians, more than one-
fifth have not completed primary school level. Even last year, from the platform of 69th
Independence day at Red Fort, Prime Minister has given the fact; that only 47 out of 100 reaches
from class one to eighth standard, making the dropout rate at 52.78%. A majority of 60 million
children between 6-14 years age group in India are still have not entered school.

Causes of illiteracy

 High rate of population growth in relation to low rate of adult population gaining literacy
 Ineffectiveness of primary schools in enrolling and retaining students
 Traditional outlook of low class people in using the services of young children either for
earning money or looking after infants in family instead of sending them to schools
 High level of poverty with high rate of economic disparity. According to a recent data of
2016, only 8% of the people in India have control over more than 85% of the resources,
while remaining 92% mass are surviving on merely 10 to 15%.
 Non-conductive educational policies of the colonial rulers to the spread of education; in
fact they have only produced clerks and high class servants in our country instead of
liberators or planners of one’s own dream.
 Low allotment of funds in budgetary provisions; Especially the GOI have continuously
neglected the recommendations made by Kothari Commission of 6% annual budget for
education. The budget for education never goes above 4.3% from 1951 to 2011. Even the
target set up by National Policy on Education (1986) for free and compulsory education
of children up to 14 years of age has still being a daunting task to perform in reality.

Consequences
 Personal disorganization because of inaccessibility to knowledge sources; frustration and
quarrel inside homes because of not fulfilling educational demands of children.
 Social disorganization on account of lack of ignorance and increasing belief in
superstition and fear because of lack of awareness. Education removes ignorance and
increases cooperation and mutual understanding in society. But, on account of lack of
education in a community they can be easily prepared on communal and religious lines.
 Family disorganization because of quarrels and misguidance
 Increase in poverty and educational unemployment
 Increase in all anti-social activities ranging from theft, robbery to abduction and rape.
 It also creates chances for social and economic exclusion in society.

Government has taken certain measures in this regard and to improve literacy level in
rural areas like Adult Education Programme, National Adult Educational
Programme(1978), Rural Functional Literacy Programme(1986), National Literacy
Mission, Sarv Siksha Abhiyan(2001), Mid-Day Meal Scheme etc. for spreading the torch
of knowledge to all sections and to all ages in rural and urban areas. It covers especially
those working youth in accordance with Adult Education Programme, who can receive
and complete their education in evening schools. It also brings awareness towards
dropout and gender biases in our society.