There are significant spatial differences in literacy and educational achievements too. Census 2001 showed that with 90.9 percent literacy, Kerala has the highest literacy rate and Bihar with 47.0 percent literacy, has the lowest literacy rate. Within Bihar, as in other states, there are great disparities between men and women. The literacy rate among women in Bihar is only 33.0 percent. Overall, out of 593 districts in India, 18 had female literacy below 25 percent.
TABLE 2.1: LITERACY RATE IN INDIA
|
|
Persons |
Males |
Females |
Total |
No. of literates |
560,687,797 |
336,533,716 |
224,154,081 |
|
Literacy rate |
64.8% |
75.3% |
53.7% |
Rural |
No. of literates |
361,870,817 |
223,551,641 |
138,319,176 |
|
Literacy rate |
58.7% |
70.7% |
46.1% |
Urban |
No. of literates |
198,816,980 |
112,982,075 |
85,834,905 |
|
Literacy rate |
79.9% |
86.3% |
72.9% |
|
Literacy does not imply education. There are literates who have never formally gone to schools. A large number of them have had primary education. Only about half of all those who join school move beyond eighth standard. Others drop out. The proportion of those who go for higher education is still very low. Moreover, there are differences according to region, social class, gender and urban-rural residence. They are correlated with and are often the cause of other forms of hierarchies. In India education is correlated well with spatial differences in demographic transition. Among women, it is associated with empowerment, domestic violence, fertility, maternal mortality, knowledge of RTI/STI including HIV and AIDS, migration and work.
|
