ILLITERACY

A person is said to be literate if he can read and write in any language. However, this is ‘simple literacy’ and serves no useful purpose. Today the emphasis has shifted to basic education.Basic education involves functional literacy.

 Functional literacy has three main goals:

To enable the learner to read and compute (carry out simple arithmetical calculations)

To raise the capabilities of the learners in respect of their personal, economic and social life.

To create awareness in the learner about his / her rights and duties.

The quality of the population of a country depends upon the level and type of education attained by people. The greater the majority of people are educated the faster the rate of industrial and agricultural development takes place in a country and vice versa. Ever since independence the elimination of illiteracy has been one of the main concerns of the government.

CAUSES OF ILLITERACY

Poverty – is the root cause of all socio economic problems. Poor people expect their children to work and add to the family income. It is not possible for them to meet the expense of education. Even when education is free they find it difficult to withdraw their children from work and send them to school.

Caste system – in our country has discouraged the socially backward form acquiring literacy

Low status ow women – has discouraged most people from sending their daughters to school as household work is considered to be their main responsibility.

Inadequate facilities – some children have no school in the vicinity and have to travel long distances. Wherever schools exist, there are no pucca buildings, no blackboards, no drinking water and schools are single teacher schools.

Population explosion – no efforts of increasing the rate of literacy in our country will be successful unless and until the population growth is arrested.

EFFECTS OF ILLITERACY

Slow economic development – illiteracy is one of the factors that contribute to the slow rate of economic growth of the country

Unemployment – illiteracy contributes to unemployment as illiterate persons have much less scope of getting employment

Low efficiency – illiteracy contributes to low quality of labor force and poor productivity

Poverty – is both the cause and effect of illiteracy. The earning capacity of an illiterate is less and therefore a majority of them are below the poverty line

Backwardness – a society with a majority of illiterate people remains backward as superstition and orthodoxy play dominant roles and it is difficult to introduce social reforms. 

Religious fundamentalism becomes deep rooted and people become easy prey to communalism

Exploitation – Illiteracy leads to exploitation and social and economic oppression. Many farmers are ignorant about land reforms and other benefits which they could receive from government schemes.