Vol: 4, Issue: 2 2014

Page: 01-07

Growth and Regional Inequality in Literacy in India

Radhika Kapur

Literacy is a very broad concept, it is not just simple reading of the words, symbols and sounds but it is the understanding of the world; it is an extension of an individual towards education, including all the kinds of interdisciplinary solutions to the problems. Literacy leads to education and an empowerment of an individual’s knowledge, skills and abilities; individual tends to utilize his skills and knowledge in a productive manner for the growth and enhancement of oneself and the community. Throughout India, still numbers of people are illiterate and there is an interconnection between poverty and illiteracy; they are considered to be the part of the complex system of deprivation and discrimination. When the literacy programs and schemes are organized and formulated in a manner that aims at poverty eradication then even the economically backward segments of the society develop an interest in literacy (Training Manual, n.d.). Literacy is stated to be the agent of social change. Poverty is said to be closely related to the levels of schooling that the individual has obtained. The earning capacity is endowed within an individual on the basis of the level of education that he has attained. People who are illiterate or who have not acquired much education do dwell in the conditions of poverty, and people who are well educated do enable to find job opportunities for themselves. People suffer from poverty due to poor investment amongst themselves and they lack the funds for human capital investment (Causes of poverty, 2012).