article on the topic: towards total literacy
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Towards Total Literacy
Literacy is the foremost and first prerequisite to become an advanced, prosperous, and self-reliant nation. All the most advanced nations such as America, UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Japan, Korea, China, etc are advanced because of the high rates of literacy of their people. If India has also to stand tall among them, she must achieve the objective of 100% literacy of her people.
According to Wikipedia India's literacy rate is at 74.04%. Kerala is the most literate state in India, with 93.91% literacy. Bihar is the least literate state in India, with a literacy of 63.82%. Some other states where the literacy rate is quite low are: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
The goals of democracy can never be achieved until 100% literacy is achieved in any democracy. An illiterate person is like a person who has a car but doesn't know how to drive it. Democracy will cease to be democracy in case illiteracy is not obliterated. An illiterate person is prone to fall prey to anti-democratic practices such as corruption, favourism, not being able to see the vested interests of the parties in power. Such illiterate persons can be influenced easily by ill practices such as faulty opinion making, selling votes in return of some favour or money. In the backward states in India where the number of illiterate people is quite high in villages, the ruling parties often lure these illiterates into so many traps to secure votes.
Even skill development programs and professional excellence are impossible without literacy. So the Government must launch more programmes such as free education programs to poor people living in villages and towns, setting up of new schools and colleges at district and state levels, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao is the latest initiative to save and educate the girl child in the country.
People and Private schools should also contribute in this regard. All must join hands to achieve 100% literacy for a happy and prosperous India for all.