Causes of illiteracy in India.
Causes of illiteracy in India.
Factors responsible for illiteracy in India.
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Causes of Illiteracy in India :-
The issue of illiteracy in India is one of the most important social problems. Although many steps and programs have been taken to eradicate illiteracy in post-independent India, India is still plagued by the problem of illiteracy. According to the 2011 census, the literacy rate in India is 74.04 percent; that is, more than 25 percent of the people are still illiterate. Illiteracy is a social problem that gives rise to many other social problems. The causes of illiteracy in India are -
1. Role of the British :-
The British ruled India for about 200 years. During this period, they took some educational steps for their own administrative interests, but did not take any measures to spread mass education. Education was limited to the urban educated and middle class community. As a result, a large number of people in rural India were far from the opportunity of literacy. Therefore, at the time of independence, a large part of the population was illiterate.
2. Historical Background: -
With a few exceptions, the administrators of the Sultanate and Mughal eras before the British were busy with war, expansion of empires and military development. Although in some cases, Maktabs, Madrasas and Hindu education were prevalent, it was completely insignificant in terms of the needs of the overall population. It is considered that the Islamic rule that lasted for about 600 years was a dark era in the field of education in India.
3. Impact of Caste Discrimination: -
Caste discrimination was traditionally prevalent in India. According to this system, people belonging to the lower castes of the society were deprived of the right to education. The caste discrimination system that lasted for several thousand years forced a large section of the people to remain illiterate.
4. Population explosion:-
According to the 2011 census, the population of India has crossed 1.21 billion and every year, the same number of people are being born in India as the total population of Australia. It has not yet been possible to build the necessary infrastructure for this huge population.
5. Economic reasons:-
A large number of people in India live below the poverty line. Also, the average per capita income in India is very low. For these people, earning a living and participating in vocational work are considered more necessary than receiving education. Therefore, despite taking many steps for universal education, it has not been possible to achieve the expected success.
6. Failure of various education programs:-
Many programs have been taken in India to spread literacy. Such as - Operation Blackboard, National Literacy Mission, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan - etc. Although all these programs have been taken, none of the programs has achieved complete success. In many cases, the programs have remained only in the books and pens.
7. Lack of Funding:
India allocates very little money for the expansion of education to all - only 3 percent of the national income. Various backward and developing countries also spend 6 percent of the national income on education. Even Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh - these backward countries also spend more than 3 percent on education.
8. Lack of adult education: -
People between the ages of 15 and 35 who are not pursuing education are called adults. Although many steps and programs have been taken to expand primary education in India, necessary steps have not been taken in the field of adult education. Although the National Adult Education Program or NAEP was adopted in 1978, indifference and non-cooperation of adults have been observed in the implementation of that program.
9. Lack of well-thought-out plans: -
Although plans were adopted one after another in independent India, there is room for doubt about how scientific and well-thought-out they were. Each program has been criticized within a decade of its implementation. Another education policy has been adopted to correct the mistakes of one education policy. As a result, it has not been possible to effectively implement educational programs.
10. Lack of overall awareness of the people: -
A large number of people in India are illiterate. These illiterate people are often not aware of the benefits of literacy. They are also unaware of the fact that education is a birthright of people. They cannot feel how essential education is for a successful life. As a result, lack of awareness of the people is one of the reasons for illiteracy in India.
11. Lack of women's education: -
According to the 2011 census, the rate of women's education in India is only 65.46 percent. That is, about 35 percent of women are illiterate. This poor picture of women's education is a major obstacle to the development of literacy in India. For a long time, women were deprived of the right to education. Even today, many women are educated only for the purpose of marriage. Many women are still deprived of higher education.
12. Lack of materials and infrastructure:
There is a shortage of materials and infrastructure required to implement universal primary education. Most schools have more students than required. As a result, proper teaching and learning is being hampered. Lack of suitable classrooms, books, trained teachers, etc. is hampering the flow of education.
Finally, it can be said that in order to truly eliminate illiteracy in a populous country like India, political will, effective policy formulation, adequate financial allocation and awareness raising among the people are required. Steps should be taken in line with international education policies and considering the reality of the Indian problem.
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