Literacy rate goes up to 86% in Capital

Despite the fact that child population is burgeoning in the city, the level of literacy and education seeping down to the grassroots is on the rise. HT reports.

Despite the fact that child population is burgeoning in the city, the level of literacy and education seeping down to the grassroots is on the rise.

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The education department has claimed that several improvements have been carried out to mend the overall educational levels in the city.

While the literacy rate among women at national level is 65%, in Delhi it was 75% in 2001 and has reached 81% in 2011.

"Education has been one of the high priority areas of the government and the increase in the literacy level among women is an indicator of that. Though when compared to men it is still 10% less, but we are trying to bring it at par," said Arvinder Singh Lovely, education minister, Delhi .

Not only has the total enrolment of students increased from 40,000 in 2001 to 1,12,000 in 2011, but the overall literacy rate has gone up from 81.8% in 2001 to 86.3% in 2011.

"The depth of our success in this mission can be gauged from the fact that when we had 72,000 students in class 10, their success rate was only 40%. Today, it is 99%," added Singh. The government has also undertaken upgrading of 144 schools in the past five years while it bifurcated 25 and started 28 new schools.