Female literacy rate in India up 68% since Independence: Report

Kerala at 92.2 per cent is the most literate state in India.

The literacy rate of women in India has increased by 68 per cent - up from 9 per cent at the time of Independence to 77 per cent at present, LiveMint reported. As per World Bank estimates, only 1 of 11 girls was literate during the period surrounding India's Independence. Currently, 84.7 per cent of males are literate in India.

The school dropout rate stands at 12.6 per cent. (File/representative)

LiveMint quoted a National Sample Survey report which pegged Kerala at 92.2 per cent as the most literate state in India. 91.85 per cent people are literate in the union territory of Lakshadweep, which bagged the second position. With 91.33 per cent, Mizoram is in third place. In India, the lowest literacy rate was recorded in Bihar at 61.8 per cent. Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan also recorded poor numbers at 65.3 per cent and 66.1 per cent, respectively.

The school dropout rate stands at 12.6 per cent while 19.8 per cent students discontinued their studies at the secondary level.

According to the report, female students faced significantly higher dropout rates due to prevalence of early marriage and education not being considered as a priority for girls.

Urban areas in India have fared better than rural areas in terms of literacy rate. The literacy rate in rural India is 67.77 per cent as against 84.11 per cent in urban India.

The Ministry of Education’s Samagra Shiksha Scheme launched in 2018-19 aims at ensuring inclusive and quality education at elementary and secondary levels and is funded jointly by the central and state governments on a 60:40 sharing basis.

In 2021-22, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Punjab were among the four states which received more than 90% of the government-approved share, according to an analysis.