Literacy As A Measure Of Success

Between the years 1950 and 2000, the illiteracy rate dropped from 44% to 20% for the age 15 and under age group, yet the number of illiterate children grew from 700 million to 860 million. This was due to rapid population expansion in less developed countries which lacked basic education facilities.
In the early 21st Century, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa had the highest illiteracy rates. India and China, countries with the highest populations had an illiteracy rate of two-fifths and one-sixth, respectively.

By increasing access to basic education, a country improves the social and economic opportunities for its citizens. The Right to Education for every individual has been upheld in various international agreements, including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child; and the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

Depending on the country, its economic development, and its political system, the percentage of children not receiving education can fall anywhere between 5% to 30%.

In developing nations like India, dropout rates and repetition of class also play a factor in higher illiteracy rates. For those who complete their initial stages of formal schooling, examinations serve as a filtering process to figure out who should go on to post-primary education.
Countries with greater economic advancements, expand their law of compulsory education to a greater number of children as well as the number of years of schooling.

The question surrounding the role of education in opening up opportunities revolves around who has access to what levels and types of education. A predominant theme, whenever education is discussed is the equality of educational opportunity (EEO).

Equality of educational opportunity is the notion that everyone should have equal opportunity to attain education irrelevant of their social background, race, gender, or religion. It is where people achieve success because of their hard work and ability and not because of any form of reservation or discrimination. EEO however does not mean, that the outcome for every student will be the same if the same education is given to them.

When it comes to gender equality in terms of education, evidence is mixed. Though international agencies and national governments have been actively promoting educational rights for females, 45% of the females are still excluded from education systems living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the negative pattern, positive gains are also indicated.

By: Deeksha Goyal