Essay on Illiteracy in India

Introduction:

Illiteracy in India has always been one of the major concerns for socio-economic reforms in the country. In fact, India is a country with one of the most illiterate populations in the world. In order to make India compete with the global population, it is necessary to focus on the reduction of the rate of illiteracy in India.

Definition:

The ability to read and write is what defines a literate person and explains what literacy is all about. A person who is unable to read and write is called an illiterate person.

Causes of Illiteracy in India:

India is a country where more than half of the population is engaged in agriculture leading to illiteracy in India. In fact, the percentage of this population was 75% of the overall population until the last decade. However, with the increase in urbanisation and acceptance of modern techniques and occupations, there has been a shift with people opting for other occupations as well other than agriculture.

Moreover, among the total population, the percentage of illiteracy in women is far higher than that of men. This is because women in India, especially in the rural regions are dependent on the men for most of their activities. That is why women are not encouraged to go to schools and study and hence contribute to the high rate of illiteracy in India.

Another factor which has largely been responsible for the lack of interest in people being literate is the technology of agricultural practices in India. Most of the agricultural practices in India have been basic in nature. Therefore, the need for being educated to use the new technologies has not bothered the general population of the country. However, with the onset of the green revolution, there has been an increase in the farmers being literate since the last decade.

Lack of educational facilities is another contributor to the high rate of illiteracy in India. Even if the poor and the underprivileged want to study, there are not enough educational facilities available in the villages. For instance, there are still places in India where children have to walk for miles before reaching to school. In the absence of proper roads and transport facilities, they are often forced to skip school during extreme weather conditions. This itself takes out the motivation in them to study further.

Moreover, at the time India attained independence from the British on 15th August 1947, it was struggling with means to give basic quality life to its citizens such as food, water and shelter. Therefore it took time for the subsequent governments to come up with schemes and policies in place to make the citizens of our country literate. Additionally, there is a wide disparity between the rich and the poor in our country. The high rate of illiteracy in India has widened this gap further.

Importance of Education as Mentioned in the Constitution of India:

The importance of education has been recognised by the Constitution of India as well. There have been different rules and regulations in place which protect the right of education of all the citizens of our country.

Education for minorities has always been a concern for all governments. The cultural and educational rights of the minorities are guaranteed under Article 30 of the Constitution.

Free and Compulsory Education for All is a right guaranteed under the Constitution of India. Equal educational opportunities are to be provided to all the citizens of the country is a factor governed under the Directive Principles of State Policy. It also finds mention in article 41, 45 and 46 of the Constitution of India.

All such laws are intended to remove illiteracy in India. However, the implementation of these rules has always been a challenge due to the different mindsets of the affected population.

Initiatives by the Government of India:

There have been many initiatives by the Government of India in order to decrease the rate of illiteracy in India. The government has come with various schemes and policies to this effect.

Free Education – In order to achieve its goal of reducing the rate of illiteracy in India, the Government of India has initiated free education, especially for the people in rural areas and the ones who belong to the below poverty line (BPL) category. In fact, this scheme is one of the successful schemes of the Government of India and has led to an increase the student enrolment in rural areas.

Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan – The Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan has been in implementation since the year 2001. This scheme focuses on elementary education in the country. Achievement of universal primary education has been the aim of this scheme. The scheme has found popularity both in rural as well as urban areas.

Through this scheme, the Government of India has the vision that if it is able to educate the children of our country, the rate of illiteracy in India of the current and future generations shall come down drastically. Other schemes such mid-day meals where children are provided food in the school are in place so that the poor parents need not to worry about the health of the children and allow them to study. Also, uniform and books are provided free of cost of the children have been in place in order to motivate the poor to send their children to school.

Conclusion:

It is very sad that even after so many years of attaining freedom, there is still a high rate of illiteracy in India and we are far from becoming a fully literate country. People in rural areas are still struggling with basic facilities such as food, water and shelter. Education perhaps has taken a backseat due to the primitive mindsets of the people. However, there have been many initiatives by the Government which have been successful in evolving in people in rural areas.

Now people are more than ready to send their children to school. With the young generation becoming literate, the future of the next generations seems bright. But, people should also realise that they should utilise the facilities provided by the Government to the fullest and help in reducing the rate of illiteracy in India.