Eradicating Illiteracy in India by Rejuvenating Education

Illiteracy is most dangerous for the development of any of the countries. It results in more significant issues such as unemployment, population burst, poverty, etc. Illiteracy in India is one of the major issues since independence. However, efforts have been made by NGOs and the government that has resulted in a slight drop in the illiteracy rate in India. Although we are making progress, it’s not enough. Still, there are many things we can do to help eradicate illiteracy in India.

Analysis of Illiteracy in India

India has the highest illiteracy rate as 287 million adults are illiterate in India. The statistics pointed towards the staggering disparities in the educational levels in India. The nation does not look like a promising nation if it has a stable economic growth rate but has poor literacy rates. Hence, a higher literacy rate is essential for any nation to bring it to a global platform.

Education is a fundamental right that must be provided to the citizens. However, India is highlighted as a country where the disparities are such that one state has achieved a literacy rate higher than 90 % while on the other hand, there are other states where the literacy rates are still dismal, i.e., Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and Bihar.

Let’s know what Literacy is?

One can define literacy as the ability to read and write. It is an evolving process which not only entails the grasping abilities of printed text but also can adapt visual entities and technological awareness as well. Hence it is a multi-dimensional concept that keeps on adding new parameters with respect to the developments which are taking place in the globalized world.

The UNESCO has defined literacy as the ability to identify, interpret, understand, create, communicate, and compute using printed or written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves the continuum of learning that enables to achieve of goals and develop the knowledge and potential to participate in the community and society.

Causes of Illiteracy in India

Illiteracy in India is more or less concerned with different forms of disparities that exist in the country and has the complex dimensions attached to it. These are based on gender imbalances, state imbalances, income imbalances, caste imbalances, and sometimes also the technological barriers that shape the literacy rates in the nation.

In India, there is the highest illiterate population as the literacy rates were around 82% for men in 2011 and 65% for women. The low female literacy is because of the dependency of women on men for activities. Therefore, it leads to the formation of a vicious circle. It is not a new concept that the rich will have better access to educational facilities as compared to the. Due to the lack of skills and knowledge, the poor get involved in unskilled labor for the family earning. Thus it reduces the main focus from achieving education to earning income for surviving for livelihood.

In India, some states that spend more on education seem to have higher literacy rates as compare to states which do not invest more in education. For instance, Kerala is a state that spends 685 dollars on its educational levels. The biggest problem is the shortage of teaching staff and is inefficient, who is employed across the government-run schools. Another reason that leads to the maximum dropouts, especially for girls, is the lack of proper sanitation. A study has stated that 59% of the schools also do not have drinking water facilities.

How Economic Problems Lead to Illiteracy in India?

The biggest problem of illiteracy in India is poverty, which leads to unemployment. Poverty is the single biggest cause of illiteracy in India and also a curse to all other problems. The people have an inability to attain basic nutritious food, and potable water is the more popular effects of poverty in India, which suppress the problem of being illiterate. After all, food and water it is one of those things that people actually want to pick up for themselves and want to get rid of poverty.

The thing about illiteracy in India is its effects are compounded together to form the burden passed on from one generation to generation. Therefore, it has been increasing with each generational shift and every year added to the calendar.

A major aspect that is slowly ruining a level of education is the commercialization of education at a higher education level and at an elementary level. These days, private schools enormously charging fees difficult for poor parents to afford and send their children to schools. However, in government schools, the mid-may meal scheme was started to provide a nutritious diet for every child to prepare them better for good studies.

Removal of Illiteracy- A National Priority

Various poverty eradication programs are going on, and the government has been working to solve this problem since our country’s independence. However, it is still a need to encourage people to proceed ahead with education.

The government and different NGOs have been working on solving the seemingly insurmountable problem of eradicating illiteracy in India for both children and adults. The basic financial literacy programs for using computers to help adults learn how to read and write. NGOs are motivation people for night classes and studies and providing the facility for the same. The government is also allocating the literary budgets and focusing solely on improving children and adults’ reading and writing abilities.

Government’s Role in Eradicating Illiteracy in India

The ruling of the Supreme Court in 1993 said that children had the fundamental right to free education. The action was taken in the form of the “Right to Education,” which was incorporated in the Constitution by the 83rd Amendment 2000. Despite this, the country still could not provide free and compulsory education to children up to fourteen years of age. The work is still in progress as the government tries to motivate parents and educate children by building up new forms and development in providing education.

The Constitution of India tells the importance of education for all. Therefore, it has laid down several provisions ensuring the proper and effective implementation of educational rights in India.

Some of the provisions are:

• Education for a group of Minorities: Article 30 of the Constitution provides all minorities have the right to set and administer institutions of their preference.
• Free and Compulsory Education: Article 41, 45, and 46 of the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Constitution instructs the state to ensure that all citizens must receive free education.
• Equality of Opportunity in Educational Institutions: The fundamental right of equality clearly signifies that in the eyes of the law, there can be no discrimination based on caste, status, sex, class, or creed. Equal opportunities must be provided to everyone in a country
• Article 21 (A) as the fundamental right: The new amendment was bought to provide free and mandatory education to all children between the age of 6 to 14 years; this is made as to the fundamental right.  
• Education for Weaker Sections: Article 15, 17, and 46 of the Constitution also safeguard the educational interests of the weaker sections of society.

Problems Ahead for Government Schemes

Several schemes have been launched to ensure the right to education in the country. The National Policy of Education has been declared that the whole nation has to commit itself and help in eradicating illiteracy, especially among the young population. The National Literacy Mission of 1988 made literacy a community endeavour. It has aimed to attain a literacy rate of 41% by 2035. The education policy of 1992 has guaranteed free and compulsory education to all the children up to the age of 14 years before the advent of the 21st century. The policy seems to bite dust today as it has not been able to prevent dropouts among school children, and illiteracy in India still prevails.

The Sarva Siksha Abhiyan was launched in the year 2001, ensuring that all children in the 6 to 14 years of age-group have to attend school and complete eight years of schooling by the end of 2010. An important component of that scheme was the Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative & Innovative Education, which meant primarily for those children who have no formal school present within a one km radius.

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan incorporates decentralization for planning and management of elementary education because of the absence of community participation, most of the policies fail to generate a mass consensus.Hence there is no clarity on the objectives between these bodies with respect to the spread of education. There is also a matter of corruption that has become an incorrigible element concerning the allocation of funds raised by the government to education. The money was less than the actual budget allocation for education is utilized for the implementation of the schemes.

How is Hindrise Helping the Government in Spreading Education?

Our NGOs are willing and committed to spread knowledge and emerge as an effective mechanism for acquiring both literacy and empowerment of the underprivileged people of the society. The people who submitted responses are aware of the working of our NGO for the people and children at large. The state governments are focusing on expanding primary education. Therefore, our Hindrise, with the help of government schemes and objectives, helps in providing accessibility of education to poor children. The state is offering the financial resources that children need to participate in literacy programs.

We, as an NGO, help the teachers and the students to realize the importance of basic education and strive for the same. We have honestly seen an improvement after conducting awareness campaigns to educate people about the importance of education, and we are making significant progress. A sense of accountability is important to ensure that government schools must function efficiently. There is a requirement of scrutiny in schools, and there is a need to improve the facilities of labs and classrooms in government schools.

Takeaway

Illiteracy has affected an individual in all areas of his life. An illiterate individual fails to read and write and therefore cannot join any workforce, or he can only work as unskilled labour, and his lack of awareness can affect them in decision making. Further, children of illiterate parents also do not receive the same level of education. Even if the children go to the same school, children of illiterate parents will have a lack of awareness as compared to educated parents. Hence, illiteracy in India is affecting the social and economic development of India.