India Lags Behind Pak, Nepal In Female Literacy

A new research on female literacy states that countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Nepal are leaving India's educational system behind in terms of quality. This information is part of a research by New York-based International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity.

The Hindu reported that in India, the proportion of women who completed five years of primary schooling were only 48 per cent, while Nepal was at 92 per cent, Pakistan 74 per cent and Bangladesh at 54 per cent.

The Hindu quoted one of the authors of the research, Dr Sandefur, who said, "This (number) implies that schooling is roughly twice as productive at generating literacy for women during the early grades in Pakistan when compared to India. Or, it could also mean that Indian schools are much more lenient about promoting students who cannot read."

Even when India was on the Demographic and Health Surveys, which includes literacy data as well, India ranked 38th among the 51 developing countries. Many African countries also leave India behind in the literacy game, for example Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Female Literacy in India and neighbouring countries. Picture Credit: The Hindu

India's Female Literacy Ranking. Picture Credit: The Hindu

The government and its people need to make collective effort in changing this scenario. Without education of females, the overall development plan for the country will fail miserably. The conservative, traditional, old norms of keeping the girl child away from education will only hinder the nation's progress as they represent 48.5 per cent of the population.

Feature Image Courtesy: JungleKey.in

Statistics taken from: Education Commission, DHS rounds since 2000