At the time of Independence in 1947, the literacy rate of India was only about:

At the time of Independence in 1947, the literacy rate of India was only about 12 percent; in other words, nearly nine out of ten Indians could not read or write.

Why literacy was so low:

• The British government spent very little on mass education.
• Education was available mainly to the upper classes and castes, and to people in towns.
• Very few girls went to school; the literacy rate among women was much lower than among men.
• Most of the people lived in villages, where there were few schools.
• Poverty forced many children to work instead of going to school.

Literacy after Independence:

• The Census of 1951 recorded a literacy rate of about 18 percent.
• The literacy rate increased steadily in every census after that, reaching about 74 percent in 2011.
• The literacy rate among women increased from about 9 percent in 1951 to about 65 percent in 2011.
• Kerala has had the highest literacy rate among the states in the recent censuses.

Steps to improve literacy:

• The Constitution directed the State to provide free and compulsory education for children.
• The National Literacy Mission was launched in 1988.
• The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan was launched in 2001, for universal elementary education.
• The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was passed in 2009, and came into force in 2010.
• The Mid-Day Meal Scheme (now PM POSHAN) encourages children to come to school.

How literacy is measured in the census:

In the Indian census, a person aged seven years and above who can both read and write with understanding in any language is treated as literate.

Life expectancy in 1947:

At the time of Independence, life expectancy in India was also very low, around 32 years.

Why not the other options?

• ✗18 percent was the literacy rate in the 1951 census; 28 percent and 35 percent are not correct for 1947.