Illiteracy is a social problem in India. As per the definition given by government, a person who has attained the age of seven years and does not know how to read or write in any language is known as illiterate. A country’s progress depends much on literacy. About 35 percent of the population of India is illiterate. According to the Global Education Monitoring Report of 2005, India ranks 106 out of 127 countries surveyed. The rate of illiteracy is the highest among the agricultural laborers and among the poor. The Constitution Amendment Act of 2002 has made elementary education a fundamental right for children between the age group of 6 14 years. More than 50 percent of the villages in India still do not have a primary school. Even today, single teacher schools exist in many parts of India. The government has been undertaking steps to remove illiteracy. The people as well as the NGOs should assist the Government to carry out its policies more effectively.
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