ADULT ILLITERACY

 India has one of the highest populations of illiterate adults at 267 million, with wide disparity in education attainment among rich and the poor. Various government sponsored programs are being conducted across the country to promote adult literacy and lifelong learning, with emphasis on female participation.

The role of Youth in nation-building or development is very important, and this is because the development of any nation lies in the future generation. Democracy, economy, technology and the improvement of medical science all lie in the hands of the Youth. Poverty, unemployment, global warming, and pollution of many types are the problems that the world is facing today.

For instance, the centrally sponsored Saakshar Bharat is a program which aims to reduce illiteracy among adults and promote lifelong learning. The program also focusses on increasing literacy among women. The adult literacy rate among women is 59%, which is significantly lower than that of men at 79%. 

Therefore, there is need for more such programs and address adult illiteracy more seriously in India, as this issue is neither addressed by legislation, and often neglected by NGOs. For a long time, it has been assumed that universal elementary education among children will solve the problem of illiteracy among adults as well.

Globally, there is a need to put greater emphasis on community participation and monitoring and evaluation of adult education programs for long-term sustainability of these programs.

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