More than two-thirds of the world's 793 million illiterate adults
(two-thirds of them women) are found in only eight countries and India
is one of them. If the second most populated nation on Earth is to
assume its role as a world economic leader, before becoming digitally or
financially literate it must eradicate adult illiteracy.
In today’s information society, education is the driving force behind a
strong economic and social development. Unfortunately, according to
results of the Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA) conducted by the OECD, the largest emerging markets in the
world—the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China)—may be losing
educational ground against the so-called FICS (Finland, Ireland, South Korea and Sweden).
In today’s information society, education is the driving force behind a
strong economic and social development. Unfortunately, according to
results of the Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA) conducted by the OECD, the largest emerging markets in the
world—the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China)—may be losing
educational ground against the so-called FICS (Finland, Ireland, South Korea and Sweden).
Things look greener on the China side of the fence. The Asian giant is said to be “winning the school race”, coming in first in recent PISA studies. India, by contrast, is leading the BRICs in digital exclusion,
partly due to adult illiteracy. Most Indians cannot afford or access
ICTs and lack the education to use them effectively. While European
economies, hard hit by the global crisis, are working to raise their
citizens’ financial and digital literacy, this high-growth economy is faced with another challenge.
Statistics show that illiteracy and poor economies go hand in hand. The
state of Bihar—India’s poorest—has the lowest women’s literacy rate in
the nation. Values are lower in rural areas than in urban ones. In Jammu
& Kashmir, a largely agricultural state, only 41.82% of its women
are literate.
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