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6.2.2 Indian Scenario
(8) Literact
has a low llteracy rate of 52 Oofo
The female llteracy rate (37 7%) IS much lower
than the male llteracy rate (65 5% Park 1997) There has been a steady Increase In
the llteracy rate over the last several decades as shown In F~gure. 6.1 The llteracy
rate not only varied between genders but also between different states and between
rural and urban areas as shown In
Table 6 4 Among the different states In the
country Blhar Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh record the lowest
llteracy rates whlle Kerala records the hlghest lnd~a 1s one of the few countries where
prlmary education IS not compulsory The Increase In enrollment rate In chlldren
between the age of 6-1 1 years from about 33 0% ~n 1947 to 93 4% In 1986 reflects the
lrnportance education IS galnlng In the country (UNICEF 1990 UNICEF,1994 b) The
trend In lncreaslng enrollment over the past few years IS shown In Flgure 6.2 Although
there was an lncreaslng trend In the enrollment rate In both genders the d~fference
between them remalned more or less the same Thls 1s evldent from the fact that whlle
In boys the percentage of enrollment has Increased by about 46 0% between 1950-51
and 1986-87 in glrls ~t has Increased by about 55 0% durlng the same perlod (UNICEF.
1990) In Tam11 Nadu, the enrollment for boys and glrls In the pnrnary age group (6-11
Years) was 105 9% and 94 5% respect~vely and for those between 11-14 years of age
[he correspond~ng figures were 108 6% and 89 3% in 1995 (Anonymous 1996) Flgures
In excess Of 100 0% as shown above ~ndicate the Inherent fallacy of over-report~ng In
(he recording system