One of every third women in India is illiterate says Tharoor

Updated on: Monday, February 25, 2013

Union minister of state for human resource development (HRD) Shashi Tharoor said that one of every third women in India is illiterate. Stating this as a matter of 'deep national concern', Tharoor, who was addressing a national conference in the state capital on Sunday, said a two-word mantra for improving the world was to "educate girls."

The continuing difference between enrollment ratio for boys and girls at most levels of the education system is no less than a national shame than the declining sex ratio caused by the reprehensible practice of sex selection and female infanticide.

"Even today after 65 years of Independence, the literacy rate of women is just at 65.5% compared to the more healthy 82.1% for men," said the MoS.

He apprised the gathering with more abysmal statistics of the MHRD, according to which "while 17.1% of all eligible males had enrolled for higher education, merely 12.7% of all eligible women were able to avail the same opportunity."

Moreover, there was a rural-urban divide as well which showed that compared to the 30% of all urban women enrolling for a higher degree, only around 8% of all rural young women had the same privilege. Tharoor also attributed factors like lack of usable toilets as reasons for increasing female dropout rates in the education system.

"The correlation between educating women and other development indicators is very strong in most Indian states, with the exception of Punjab and Haryana. Often ," he said while elaborating some of the schemes for improving the overall enrolment rate like the RTE, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), MDM scheme, provision of free textbooks, separate toilets etc.

"Our aim in HRD is to ensure that women participate in greater numbers as not just consumers but also as producers and disseminators of knowledge. The overall goal is to facilitate the rise of women faculty, women administrators and staff to increase women's participation for better general balance and to sensitize the higher education system," he said while explaining the steps undertaken to achieve this objective during the XIth plan.

Besides Tharoor, actress Nagma and former bureaucrat M N Buch were also present at the conference.

"The three most important needs for a woman are education, security and equality. Only when these are ensured can women be truly empowered," said Nagma.

Buch on the other hand exhorted women to come forward to fight for their rights and men to get rid of the "Haryanvi mentality."

One of every third women in India is illiterate says Tharoor

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