Lok Sabha Question No. 2630 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-08-05
Subject: Illiteracy in Rural Areas
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: KAMAL NATH, MIDHUN REDDY, JYOTIRADITYA MADHAVRAO SCINDIA

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

**LOK SABHA**

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2630

TO BE ANSWERED ON 5.8.2015

**Illiteracy in Rural Areas**

2630. 	SHRI KAMAL NATH:

SHRI P.V. MIDHUN REDDY:

SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether as per the latest data of census 2011 the number of illiterate persons in rural parts of the country is growing;

(b) if so, the reasons therefor;

(c) whether the Right to Education Act is not being properly implemented in rural parts of the country resulting increase in illiterates; and

(d) if so, the concrete steps the Government proposes to take to improve the quality of education in rural parts across the country?

**ANSWER**

**MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT**

**(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)**

(a) No Madam. Census 2011 reported a decline of 2.46 crore illiterates in age group of 7 and above in the rural areas of the country from 25.41 crore in 2001 to 22.95 crore in 2011.

(b) Does not arise.

#### (c) & (d) The Right to Education Act (RTE Act) confers a right on every child of age six to fourteen years to free and compulsory elementary education in a neighbourhood school. RTE Act is being implemented by all States. As per U-DISE 2013-14 total enrolment in elementary school has risen from 18.79 crore children in 2009-10 to 19.89 crore children in 2013-14. The gross enrolment ratio at elementary level was 96.5 in 2013-14.

Since coming into force of the RTE Act, 2009 with effect from 1 st April, 2010, 42,313 primary schools and 14,386 upper primary schools have been sanctioned under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) which is the designated scheme for implementation of RTE Act, 2009.  Additional 6.95 lakh posts of teachers have also been sanctioned under SSA to maintain the Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) as per RTE norms.

Government of India has taken several measures to facilitate the implementation of the SSA to meet the objectives of the RTE Act by (i) launching ‘Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat’-a foundational programme to improve early reading and writing with comprehension and early mathematics and a focus on strengthening Science and Maths learning at the upper primary level; (ii)  launching ‘Rashtriya Avishkaar Abhiyan’ – a convergent framework to make Science, Mathematics and Technology exciting for children; (iii) sharing an exemplar on continuous comprehensive evaluation in elementary education developed by the NCERT; (iv) sharing learning outcomes by class and stage of education brought out by the NCERT; (v) conducting the 3 rd round of National Achievement Surveys for Class III, V and VIII to track student learning outcomes; (vi) bringing out guidelines against discrimination in schools; and (vii) monitoring of States to set up decentralized grievance redressal systems under the RTE Act.

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) have been opened in Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) where the female rural literacy is below the national average to provide for residential upper primary schools for girls. As on date 3609 KGBVs have been sanctioned by this Department, out of which 3593 are operational.

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