By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Though the urban – rural gap in literacy rates has come down to 16% from a high of 34% in 1961, there is nothing to cheer for Meghalaya as a state. Meghalaya is counted alongside “high” rural – urban inequality states, such as, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
This reduction in gap has been possible through literacy rates, which is one of the most fundamental indicators of economic and social development. Meghalaya’s dismal performance however is nullified by Tripura and Mizoram in the region, which ranked at the top in overall literacy alongside states and Union Territory (UT) like Kerala and Lakshadweep in a state wise analysis from 2001-11.
Bihar, despite its remarkable 17% rise in overall literacy in the state is shining at the bottom. The rural – urban inequality level is also least in the states and UT of Kerala and Lakshadweep, both with high literacy levels but it is at 14% in Mizoram despite its high literacy rate.
Rural – urban disparity in terms of literacy rates is highest in the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and among the states it is highest in Arunachal Pradesh at 23%. The literacy rates in other states and UTs, such as, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Daman and Diu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand is above 80%.But despite Meghalaya’s high rural – urban disparity, it is imperative to mention here that this disparity has waned since 2001. Meghalaya’s rural – urban disparity has come down to 12% in 2011 from a high of 30% in 2001 alongside other states like Bihar and Jharkhand. It is worth mentioning that rural literacy has increased by more than 16% in states and UTs of Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Jharkhand. These states have around 50% rural literacy in 2001 which has now gone above 60% now. But India’s road to universal literacy is still a distant dream despite literacy schemes like Saakshar Bharat, a centrally sponsored scheme of Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India launched by the Prime Minister of India on the International Literacy Day, September 8, 2009 and respective state government initiatives.