Summary
- What is literacy?
- Literacy rate around the world
- Literacy in India
- Problems of literacy in India
- Most educated states in India
Literacy is defined as the ability to read and write. Literacy is an important aspect of education in a country.
The development of a country is directly related to the rate of literacy in the country. Therefore, improving the rate of literacy in a country is one of the main objectives of any Government.
Literacy is one of the foremost indicators of a country’s social and economic development. Without education, the country is bound to lag in development.
In India, even the most literate states in India do not have a 100% literacy rate.
Literacy Rate Around the World
A 100% literacy rate in any country is truly a great achievement. Such an achievement is only possible with the collaboration of the Government of the country, its citizens, and private parties.
Here is some data on the world literacy status:
| Country | Literacy Rate |
| Andorra | 100.0 % |
| Finland | 100.0 % |
| Holy See | 100.0 % |
| Liechtenstein | 100.0 % |
| Luxembourg | 100.0 % |
| Norway | 100.0 % |
| Democratic People’s Republic of Korea | 100.0 % |
| Latvia | 100.0 % |
| Estonia | 100.0 % |
| Lithuania | 100.0 % |
| Azerbaijan | 100.0 % |
| Poland | 100.0 % |
| Cuba | 100.0 % |
| Tajikistan | 100.0 % |
| Georgia | 100.0 % |
| Armenia | 100.0 % |
| Ukraine | 100.0 % |
| Kazakhstan | 100.0 % |
| Slovenia | 100.0 % |
| Barbados | 100.0 % |
| Russian Federation | 100.0 % |
| Turkmenistan | 100.0 % |
| Belarus | 100.0 % |
| Slovakia | 100.0 % |
| Palau | 100.0 % |
| Uzbekistan | 100.0 % |
| Tonga | 99.0 % |
| Kyrgyzstan | 99.0 % |
| Republic of Moldova | 99.0 % |
| Croatia | 99.0 % |
| Italy | 99.0 % |
| Hungary | 99.0 % |
| Australia | 99.0 % |
| Belgium | 99.0 % |
| Canada | 99.0 % |
| Czech Republic | 99.0 % |
| Denmark | 99.0 % |
| France | 99.0 % |
| Germany | 99.0 % |
| Iceland | 99.0 % |
| Ireland | 99.0 % |
| Japan | 99.0 % |
| Monaco | 99.0 % |
| Netherlands | 99.0 % |
| New Zealand | 99.0 % |
| Sweden | 99.0 % |
| Switzerland | 99.0 % |
| Tuvalu | 99.0 % |
| United Kingdom | 99.0 % |
| Samoa | 99.0 % |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 99.0 % |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 99.0 % |
| Micronesia (Federated States of) | 99.0 % |
| Cyprus | 99.0 % |
| Romania | 99.0 % |
Literacy and India
In India, the scene does not look so pretty even though efforts are now being made to counter the problem of illiteracy in the country.
Concerning the most literate states in India, Kerala tops the literacy rate with an average literacy rate of 96.2%
According to the Census 2001, as many as 560,687,797 persons in the country are literate. Of these 336,533,716 are males and 224, 154,081 are females. While the overall literacy rate works out to be 64.8 %, the male literacy rate is 75.3% and that for females is 53.7%.
Problems of Literacy in India
In India, there are numerous obstacles to the achievement of a 100% literate country. Here is a quick insight into the various problems of achieving 100% literacy in India:
1. Wide Economical Gap
There is a large gap between the rich and the poor in India. This huge divide makes it difficult for the country to achieve 100% literacy.
With such a large gap, the priorities of the two sects of the population are different. The rich may be interested in educating their offspring, while the poor will just want to survive and make a daily living.
2. Lack of Educational Institutions
The lack of state-of-the-art educational institutions is one of the foremost reasons India is unable to achieve a competitive literacy rate.
Many Government schools and colleges lack basic infrastructure, teachers, and facilities which deter students from attending classes.
3. Urban and Rural Divide
While infrastructure like good roads and transport facilities are more developed in urban areas, the rural areas lack basic infrastructure.
This lack of infrastructure makes it difficult for students to attend schools in rural areas. Some students have to walk miles to reach the school while others have no road access to reach school.
Having said that, efforts are being made by both the Government, as well as Non Governmental organizations to educate the youth of the country.
Government Initiatives:
- Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RSMA)
- Swach Vidyalaya Puraskar
- Pariksha Pe charcha 2022
- Samagra Shiksha scheme
- National Education Policy
- Right To Education Act
- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
- Non Governmental Organizations initiatives
- Teach For India
- Akshaya Patra Foundation
- Azim Premji Foundation
- Educate Girls
- Make a difference
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Let’s Take a Look at The Top Ten Educated States in India
1. Kerala
Among the top 10 educated states in India, the state of Kerala has emerged as the numero uno when it comes to literacy rate.
According to a 2021 census, Kerala recorded the highest literacy rate of 96.2%. The state of Kerala has been consistent in emerging as one of the most educated states in India.
2. Lakshadweep
Surprisingly, one of the most educated states/union territories in India, Lakshadweep takes the second spot with an average literacy rate of 92.28%
3. Mizoram
Following suit, Mizoram features as one of the most literate states in India. Mizoram has a high literacy rate of 91.58%
4. Delhi
The capital city of the country has a literacy rate of 88.7%, making it one of the top ten educated states/ union territories in India.
5. Tripura
Tripura is also considered as one of the top educated states in India with a literacy rate of 87.75%
6. Uttarakhand
Closely behind is the state of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand boasts of a literacy rate of around 87.6% It is considered as one of the most literate states in India.
7. Goa
The coastal state of Goa is one of the top ten educated states in India with an average literacy rate of 87.4%.
8. Daman Diu
Among the most educated states/ union territories in India, Daman and Diu also feature among the top 10 educated states in India. Daman and Diu have a high literacy rate of around 87.07%
9. Himachal Pradesh
With a literacy rate of 86.6, the state of Himachal Pradesh stands 8 among the top 10 educated states of India.
10. Puducherry
Puducherry has a literacy rate of 86.5%
Although no state in India has achieved a 100% literacy rate, we can see many initiatives by the Government and Non Governmental Organizations to promote education among the youth.
We may soon see a bright and prosperous India achieve high targets of literacy in the years to come. With this new and educated country, India will be among the top literate countries in the world.
Conclusion
To conclude we quote the words of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi “A society that does not give importance to education cannot progress. Let there be any Government, it must have the vision to make India shine in the field of education.”
