Rural India- Catalyst for Growth of India

Even though rural Indian education is one of the most critical reasons for India's

slow growth and can offer much-needed boast; it receives little attention. The state

of schooling in rural India has always been poor, but the Covid-19 pandemic has

exacerbated the situation, as evidenced by the following statistics: -

• The national literacy rate of India is 77.7%. However, there is a stark

difference between the literacy rate of urban India (87.7%) and rural

India (73.5%).

• Only 16 per cent of pupils in Class 1 can read at the prescribed level,

according to a survey of 26 rural areas.

• Over 40% of students in rural India cannot even recognize letters.

There is a discernable gap between the rural and urban education system due to

the following problems faced by students of rural India-

• Inadequate number of schools and infrastructure

• Severe financial burden

• Low digital literacy

• Outdated customs

• Percentage of illiterate parents is more in rural in comparison to urban

area

We've seen some improvements in rural India in terms of education and required

infrastructure which has also helped a few students from rural India to achieve

great laurels. However, lots of significant measures need to take to provide impetus

to rural India. Hence prioritizing the education of rural India is the need of the hour

as it will not only help children of rural India in having better lifestyle but will also

encourage them to actively participate in the economic and cultural development of

their communities, which will further lead to sustained rural development, a better

quality of life, and improved personal development; and eventually, rural India and

in turn whole India would flourish.

The shift from an offline to an online style of education brought about by Covid-19

should be viewed as a silver lining, as it can be leveraged to expand education's

reach and accessibility to rural India at a low cost. As the existing education

infrastructure of rural India is already inadequate and outdated, the government

should focus on providing digital infrastructure to reap more benefits at an

affordable cost. Even though government plays an enormous role in providing

necessary facilities in rural India, we as a society cannot deny our responsibility of

helping in the growth of the country by helping our fellow citizens in rural India.

- Anshara Siddiqui