Illiteracy in India

Illiteracy is one of the biggest problems that India is facing in the contemporary world. Illiteracy is the mother of various other issues like poverty, population explosion, unemployment, child labour and female foeticide. When the masses are illiterate, they are unaware about these social issues and consequently they end up being a part of it. Illiteracy is a major stumbling block in the growth and development of the country. The majority of the population in India is still illiterate which is hampering the progress.

In India, illiteracy is basically categorized as wide gaps between rural and urban populations. The majority of the people are illiterate especially in rural areas, where people are unaware about the ill effects of being illiterate and moreover facilities are also not ample. The enrollment level of students in primary and secondary grades is very low in rural areas. In spite of various schemes and initiatives by the Government to promote literacy, the results are not satisfactory. Even there is a wide variation in the literacy ratio of males and females. India is a male dominated society and thus the right of education seems to be owned by them only.

Literacy is a strong weapon which can root out the social issues like casteism, dowry, corruption and child labour. Literate population can contribute manifolds in the economic and social development of a nation. If India wants to be a developed and powerful nation, then literacy is the key. The government should introduce new schemes and policies & should allocate special funds to promote literacy. Although child labour is banned but still it is being practiced which is again a factor responsible for illiteracy among young children. Government alone cannot do anything; the citizen should also be aware about the benefits of literacy and thus contribute & make efforts to kill the demon of illiteracy.