UP literacy rate poor than national average: Report

According to the survey, UP stands at the fifth to last position, and with a 96.2% literacy rate, Kerala has once again emerged as the most literate state in the country

Uttar Pradesh’s literacy rate is 73%—less than the national average of 77.7%—reveals a report based on a National Statistical Office (NSO) survey.

The report underlines the huge difference in the literacy rate of men and women in UP.(Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)

According to the survey, UP stands at the fifth to last position, and with a 96.2% literacy rate, Kerala has once again emerged as the most literate state in the country. Andhra Pradesh features at the bottom with a literacy rate of 66.4%.

The report on ‘Household Social Consumption: Education in India as part of 75th round of National Sample Survey - from July 2017 to June 2018’ provides state-wise details of literacy rates among persons aged seven and above.

According to the report, in UP (including rural and urban areas), the literacy rate among men is 81.8% and among women is 63.4%. In rural UP, the literacy rate among men is 80.5% and women is 60.4%, while in urban UP, the literacy rate among men is 86.8% and women is 74.9%.

The report underlines the huge difference in the literacy rate of men and women in UP.

Sanjay Sinha, director, State Institue of Educational Management and Training, said, “UP’s poor ranking could be attributed to the fact that there is no proper continuous programme. The Sakshar Bharat Mission programme ended on March 2018. Now, Padhna Likhna Abhiyan, a new initiative is coming up under the New Education Policy-2020.”