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• Outdated customs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infrastructure of rural India is already inadequate and outdated, the government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