- The Education Ministry has defined ‘literacy’ and ‘full literacy’ in a renewed push under the New India Literacy Programme (NILP), a five-year initiative (2022-27) aiming to onboard one crore learners aged 15 and above each year across all States and Union Territories.
- Literacy involves the ability to read, write, and compute with comprehension, including critical life skills like digital and financial literacy.
- Achieving ‘full literacy’ is defined as reaching 95% literacy in a State or Union Territory.
- A non-literate person is considered literate under NILP if they pass the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT).
- India faces a significant literacy challenge, with the 2011 Census identifying 25.76 crore non-literate individuals aged 15 and above, including 9.08 crore males and 16.68 crore females.
- Despite the Saakshar Bharat programme certifying 7.64 crore individuals as literate between 2009-18, an estimated 18.12 crore adults remain non-literate.
- Non-literate individuals face disadvantages in financial transactions, job applications, understanding rights, and participating in higher productivity sectors.
Dig Deeper: Read about the New Education Policy and its features.
