6.5. Literacy composition

Literacy as a prerequisite to education is an instrument of empowerment. The more literate the population the greater the consciousness of career options, as well as participation in the knowledge economy. Further, literacy can lead to health awareness and fuller participation in the cultural and economic well-being of the community. Literacy levels have improved considerably after independence and almost two-thirds of our population is now literate. But,

literacy rate has struggled to keep pace with the rate of growth of the Indian population It varies considerably across gender, across regions, and across social groups. As can be seen, female literacy has been rising faster than male literacy, partly because it started from relatively low levels. Literacy rates also vary across different social groups – historically disadvantaged communities like the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have lower rates of literacy, and rates of female literacy within these groups are even lower. Regional variations are still very wide, with states like Kerala approaching universal literacy, while states like Bihar are lagging far behind. The inequalities in the literacy rate are especially important because they tend to reproduce inequality across generations. Illiterate parents are at a severe disadvantage in ensuring that their children are well educated, thus perpetuating existing inequalities. See Fig. S 13 and S 14?

EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES

♤ While only 73 per cent literacy has been achieved as per Census 2011, there has been marked improvement in female literacy. Male literacy at 80.9 per cent is still higher than female literacy at 64.6 per cent but the latter has increased by 10.9 percentage points compared to 5.6 percentage points for the former.

♤ According to the DISE (District Information System for Education), total enrolment in primary schools increased from 134 million to 137 million in 2011- 12 and then declined to 132 million in 2013-14 while upper primary enrolment grew from 51 million to about 67 million. This is in line with the changing demographic age structure.

♤ India has achieved near universal enrolment and enhanced hard and soft infrastructure (schools, teachers, and academic support staff).

♤ However, the overall standard of education is well below global standards. PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2009 results ranked Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh 72 and 73 out of 74 participants, higher only than Kyrgyzstan, exposes the gaps in our education system. PISA, which measures the knowledge and skills of 15- year-olds with questions designed to assess their problem-solving capabilities, rates these two states at the bottom, with the scores in mathematics and science falling way behind the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) average. India did not participate in PISA 2012.

♤ ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) findings reported about low levels of learning amongst the 5 to 16 age group in rural India since 2005. The worrying fact is that these are floor level tests (basic 2-digit carry-forward subtraction and division skills), without which one cannot progress in the school system.

♤ The policy prescription lies in shifting attention away from inputs to outcomes and focusing on building quality education and skill development infrastructure

♤ With the changing demography and declining child population, the inadequacy of human capital at the base of the pyramid leading to a huge backlog in basic skills could become a big impediment in India’s growth.