Kerala's Role in Literacy and Education

Kerala's Role in Literacy and Education

( By Suhana Ahmed  )

Image By:- Sukriti Singh

India is one of the largest countries in the world; in terms of population, area, and democracy. Comprising of twenty-nine states, India is the country with the most diversity within. As it is still a developing country, there are hoards of problems to be tackled and one such is the illiteracy.

 

The literacy rate of India is around 74%. Now, although it isn't as bad as it was before and it shows that the majority of the population is literate, it isn't quite the ideal scenario. Primarily, the literacy rate has not much to do with education and knowledge. One can qualify as a literate person by just writing some basic words. Secondly, although since independence, the literacy rate has elevated, one thing to be noticed is that with the literacy rate, the population increased as well, and in larger quantity. Therefore, there are more illiterate people now than there were back then.

 

There are a few states who have an immense contribution to the growing literacy of India. Kerala, for example, stands with around 94% literacy as opposed to 74% of the entire nation. Kerala is known to be one of the fastest developing regions with strong policies that keep the entire state together. Even during the pandemic, Kerala handled it better and tried to implement stronger regulations to fight the virus.

 

Known to have one of the best education policies, it has attracted people from outside the country. Kerala brought in liberal education policy since independence and concentrated more on strengthening primary education by starting a campaign to create awareness. The state government intervened to improve the quality of education in government and aided institutions so as to give everybody equal opportunities and knowledge.

 

A culturally rich region with legacies of matrilineal families, it has had respect for womanhood since long ago. This gave the women the value and respect they deserved with the opportunities. Even today there are many places where women aren't allowed to have access to education, whereas in Kerala women outnumber men in terms of education in many places. Kerala has provided more scope and opportunities for women to grow than any other state.

 

Since there is an opportunity for a wider range of people, it is logical that more people will take it leading to a hike in the literacy rate. Both the central and state government played a pivotal role in developing Kerala's education system.

 

Another point that comes is that Kerala has been said to have a better infrastructure of institutions and a positive studying environment. There are schools in both rural and urban areas supporting easy access to education. The lack of availability of proper schools is also one of the reasons why a few states have higher illiteracy rates.

 

A well-equipped infrastructure plays an important role. In many other states, there are only limited number schools with well-equipped sports facilities, computer and science laboratories, libraries, blackboards, and furniture etcetera, but Kerala is said to have an upper hand in these amenities when compared to other states of the nation. The lack of these facilities is also a reason for poor literacy rates.

When education policies and systems get better, eligible people come out with skill and knowledge, and since Kerala's policy reduced the dropout rate to the minimum, the chances grew and qualified faculties came forth. It's a known fact that teachers are the building blocks of the educational system and having better staff create better individuals, which helps to develop the other sectors as well.

 

As per the guidelines of NLM (National Literacy Mission), any literacy rate above 90% is treated as complete literacy. On this basis, Kerala is considered as the fully literate state.

 

There are aspects where the state needs improvement, but it has a lot we need to learn from. The success story of Kerala's position is beautiful and mesmerizing and it should grow motivation in the other states to implement laws and policies to bring progress instead of being hostile.

 

The reason why Kerala has women outnumbering men in terms of population and education is because there isn't constriction towards them and there is an indication that female foeticide and infanticide are very less if not completely eradicated. It is a state that supports people from every class and cast and sex. It teaches us to create awareness about the issue and spread the importance of being educated and skillful, of the necessities of practical equipment and not just textbooks. School shouldn't be a burden but a place to enjoy while learning.

There is a long way to go, and the states with higher illiteracy should pull up their socks and run fast to keep up, open the opportunities for everyone, give today's children a better tomorrow's adulthood.

It has been time to bring change for a long time, and now the steps need to be stronger and faster and efficient. 

Disclaimer:-

The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Light de Literacy and LDL does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.