<p>The 80.9% literacy rate for the country, reported by the 2023–24 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), shows good progress from the 74% recorded by the 2011 census, but it also shows the challenges in the basic education system. The best performing states are Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Tripura, Goa and Tamil Nadu. Mizoram has declared itself a fully literate state with a score of 98.2%. Karnataka has to improve its performance as it does not figure in the top 10 states. The New India Literacy Programme (NILP), started on April 1, 2022, to improve literacy among adults, has achieved some results but the focus of the country’s literacy programme has rightly been on school education. </p>.Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Delhi among top performers in adult literacy: FLNAT data.<p class="bodytext">Importantly, the report shows that the implementation of the universal literacy programme is hindered by many persisting inequalities, mainly along gender and regional lines. A literacy level of just over 80% is inadequate in a country of 140 crore people. The literacy rate is significantly higher in urban areas than in rural areas. This rural-urban gap exists in all states, and it is caused by uneven distribution of educational infrastructure. Serious gender disparities also exist, with male literacy significantly outpacing female literacy in several states. The national average for men is 87.2 % and women 74.6%. Though girls do well in school, many are not even sent there, and among those who do make it, a good number drop out early. Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are the worst achievers in overall literacy, and the gender literacy gap in those states is between 16 and 20%.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The top states show what good strategy, persistence, community support, and outreach can do for basic schooling. The states at the bottom, such as Bihar, show the inadequacy of governance and infrastructure. They also highlight how social, economic and cultural hurdles affect literacy plans and objectives. Every state needs strategies suited to its milieu. Laggard states need to pay greater attention to their literacy levels because, by keeping large sections of the people illiterate, they are pulling down not just themselves but also the nation. An illiterate population is a demographic liability as illiteracy has high economic and social costs. A high literacy percentage is not enough. Education should improve from basic levels to the highest levels for it to result in true empowerment. </p>
<p>The 80.9% literacy rate for the country, reported by the 2023–24 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), shows good progress from the 74% recorded by the 2011 census, but it also shows the challenges in the basic education system. The best performing states are Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Tripura, Goa and Tamil Nadu. Mizoram has declared itself a fully literate state with a score of 98.2%. Karnataka has to improve its performance as it does not figure in the top 10 states. The New India Literacy Programme (NILP), started on April 1, 2022, to improve literacy among adults, has achieved some results but the focus of the country’s literacy programme has rightly been on school education. </p>.Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Delhi among top performers in adult literacy: FLNAT data.<p class="bodytext">Importantly, the report shows that the implementation of the universal literacy programme is hindered by many persisting inequalities, mainly along gender and regional lines. A literacy level of just over 80% is inadequate in a country of 140 crore people. The literacy rate is significantly higher in urban areas than in rural areas. This rural-urban gap exists in all states, and it is caused by uneven distribution of educational infrastructure. Serious gender disparities also exist, with male literacy significantly outpacing female literacy in several states. The national average for men is 87.2 % and women 74.6%. Though girls do well in school, many are not even sent there, and among those who do make it, a good number drop out early. Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are the worst achievers in overall literacy, and the gender literacy gap in those states is between 16 and 20%.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The top states show what good strategy, persistence, community support, and outreach can do for basic schooling. The states at the bottom, such as Bihar, show the inadequacy of governance and infrastructure. They also highlight how social, economic and cultural hurdles affect literacy plans and objectives. Every state needs strategies suited to its milieu. Laggard states need to pay greater attention to their literacy levels because, by keeping large sections of the people illiterate, they are pulling down not just themselves but also the nation. An illiterate population is a demographic liability as illiteracy has high economic and social costs. A high literacy percentage is not enough. Education should improve from basic levels to the highest levels for it to result in true empowerment. </p>
