Literacy in India
The government does realize that for India to continue to make strides in the world and make its fair share in the sunlight, the people of the country need to be educated. That is where the key economic thrust of the government has always been to increase the Literacy in India and that has been achievable so far. In the last census that was conducted in the year 2007, the Literacy in India had grown to a whopping 68%. This was obviously far more than in the previous years and at a measly 12% that it stood at in the year 1947 when India got independence.
Literacy in India has always been a concern as in order to be able to achieve the planned growth and outcomes the population needs to be literate. Having said that there exists a great disparity amongst several segments of society where literacy is concerned. There is a marked difference between the literacy rate of men versus women. The female literacy rate is still low and especially so in the rural pockets. Men were at almost 77% and women at only 55% in the last census. This is far less than envisaged by the government in order to let women have the kind of financial independence that they deserve, it is imperative that they be educated. Although in the last few years the gender divide has been decreasing as more and more people realize the importance of women education and the government too adopts progressive measures for it.
The literacy rate of a country is the indicator of the country's progress. Unfortunately for India the literacy rate still stands really high at about 35 people out of every hundred people on the earth. During the British period not much attention was paid to literacy and therefore, it was at a really low level. After independence, the education for children was made compulsory and several other proactive measures taken in order to ensure that things were done to increase the rate of literacy. It was made into a fundamental right for a child between the ages of 6 and 15 to be at school.
The literacy rate in India also differs regionally and from state to state. There have been several states who have worked really hard on implementing new age literacy programs and setting the records right.
The Literacy in India when studied has shown that some states have fared far better than others in their endeavor to be able to reach out for education to all. This depends largely on the officials in charge and their enthusiasm as well as the community initiatives that are taken and the interest that is sustained in the Literacy in India programs.
There are two certain segments of the population that must be empowered by literacy. They are children from lower castes and underprivileged backgrounds as well as women. There are several non-government non-profitable organizations that have begun Literacy in India programs. Literacy and the ability to utilize this education will certainly empower all concerned and make for a better country.