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Directions (Q. 58–65): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases in the passage are printed in bold to help you locate them answering some of the questions.
Illiteracy is a problem that has complex dimensions attached to it. In India, illiteracy is more or less concerned with different forms of disparities that exist in the country. There are gender imbalances, income imbalances, state imbalances, caste imbalances and technological barriers that shape the literacy rates that exist in the country. India possesses the largest illiterate population. Literacy rates stood at 82.14 percent for men in 2011 and 65.46 percent for women. This low female literacy is also responsible for the dependency of women on men for activities that requires them to read and write. Thus, this all leads to the formation of a vicious circle.
Again, it is no new concept that the rich households will have better access to educational facilities as compared to the poor households. Due to the lack of skills and knowledge, poor households involve themselves with unskilled labour in order to save bread for the family. This reduces the focus from gaining education. This is because the main focus deviates to earning income so as to be able to survive in the society. States that spend more on education seem to have a higher literacy rates as to the states that do not invest heavily on education. Kerala is a case in point. The state spends 685 dollars per pupil, which also explains its educational levels.
One of the primary reasons for dismal literacy rates is inadequate school facilities. The teaching staff that is employed across the government-run schools is inefficient and unqualified. There is a dearth of well-read and trained teachers. Another reason for the huge dropout in schools is the lack of proper sanitation and drinking water. A study has revealed that 59 percent of the schools do not have drinking water facilities.
The Supreme Court in a ruling in 1993 said that children had a fundamental right to free education and thus, in the year 2003, the ‘Right to Education was incorporated in the Constitution under the Constitution (83rd Amendment), 2000’.
Despite this, the country couldn’t provide free and compulsory education of children up to fourteen years of age within ten years of the bill coming into effect under Article 45 of the Constitution.
Several other schemes too had been launched to ensure the right to education in the country. The National Policy of Education in the year 1986 declared that the whole nation must commit itself to drive away the menaces of illiteracy especially among the young population. The National Literacy Mission in 1988 made literacy a community endeavour. It aimed at attaining a literacy rate of 41 per cent by 2035. The 1992 education policy guaranteed free and compulsory education to all children up to 14 years of age before the advent of the 21st century; a policy which seems to be biting the dust today as it has not been able to prevent dropouts among school children and so illiteracy prevails.
The Sarva Siksha Abhiyan was launched in 2001 to ensure that all children in the age groups of 6–14 years attend school and complete eight years of schooling by 2010. An important component of the scheme is the Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative and Innovative Education, which is meant primarily for children in areas with no formal school within the radius of one kilometre.
Illiteracy is a problem that has complex dimensions attached to it. In India, illiteracy is more or less concerned with different forms of disparities that exist in the country. There are gender imbalances, income imbalances, state imbalances, caste imbalances and technological barriers that shape the literacy rates that exist in the country. India possesses the largest illiterate population. Literacy rates stood at 82.14 percent for men in 2011 and 65.46 percent for women. This low female literacy is also responsible for the dependency of women on men for activities that requires them to read and write. Thus, this all leads to the formation of a vicious circle.
Again, it is no new concept that the rich households will have better access to educational facilities as compared to the poor households. Due to the lack of skills and knowledge, poor households involve themselves with unskilled labour in order to save bread for the family. This reduces the focus from gaining education. This is because the main focus deviates to earning income so as to be able to survive in the society. States that spend more on education seem to have a higher literacy rates as to the states that do not invest heavily on education. Kerala is a case in point. The state spends 685 dollars per pupil, which also explains its educational levels.
One of the primary reasons for dismal literacy rates is inadequate school facilities. The teaching staff that is employed across the government-run schools is inefficient and unqualified. There is a dearth of well-read and trained teachers. Another reason for the huge dropout in schools is the lack of proper sanitation and drinking water. A study has revealed that 59 percent of the schools do not have drinking water facilities.
The Supreme Court in a ruling in 1993 said that children had a fundamental right to free education and thus, in the year 2003, the ‘Right to Education was incorporated in the Constitution under the Constitution (83rd Amendment), 2000’.
Despite this, the country couldn’t provide free and compulsory education of children up to fourteen years of age within ten years of the bill coming into effect under Article 45 of the Constitution.
Several other schemes too had been launched to ensure the right to education in the country. The National Policy of Education in the year 1986 declared that the whole nation must commit itself to drive away the menaces of illiteracy especially among the young population. The National Literacy Mission in 1988 made literacy a community endeavour. It aimed at attaining a literacy rate of 41 per cent by 2035. The 1992 education policy guaranteed free and compulsory education to all children up to 14 years of age before the advent of the 21st century; a policy which seems to be biting the dust today as it has not been able to prevent dropouts among school children and so illiteracy prevails.
The Sarva Siksha Abhiyan was launched in 2001 to ensure that all children in the age groups of 6–14 years attend school and complete eight years of schooling by 2010. An important component of the scheme is the Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative and Innovative Education, which is meant primarily for children in areas with no formal school within the radius of one kilometre.
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