Literacy Rates in India

Literacy rate is a very important factor for economic and Social upliftment or development. Recent study reveals that India’s Literacy levels have increased to 74% which is a six time increase over last census. However is it interesting to note that India’s Literacy rate is significantly less than World average literacy rates of 84%.

In India, Kerala has the highest Literacy with 93.9%, followed by Mizoram with 91.6%, Tripura - 87.8%, Goa - 87.4%, Himachal Pradesh - 83.8% . Of all Top 5 states with highest literacy levels, Himachal Pradesh Literacy programs seem to be more impressive as compared to Kerala model.

Himachal Pradesh has experienced a Schooling Revolution during the long period of 1961–2001. Kerala tops the graph of literacy rates since the 19th century (over 150 years), whereas Himachal Pradesh literacy rates in 1961 were below the national average in every age group. 

In these 3 decades of time between 1961–1991 period, female literacy in the 15–19 years age group went up from 11% to 86%. School attendance for both boys and girls in the 6–14-year age group stood at over 97% each when measured in the 1998–99 school year.

We believe that it is not just the efforts of the Govt., but also of the people of Himachal who stood hand in hand for upliftment of a society as whole. Himachal Government’s initiative of compulsory Schooling has tremendously supported this social cause. With Private Institutions further raising the quality of Education in the state, it will be intersting to watch the Literacy rates in the times to come.