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General
Observations
Compared to 1991, in Gujarat,
there is an increase of 0.94 crore in total
population consisting of increase of 0.44 crore
in Female and 0.50 crore in Male in 2001. Hence
there is an increase of 22.52% in total
population consisting 23.36% in Male and 22.11%
in Female. There is an increase of 7.85% in
Literacy rate, comprising 9.16% rise in Female
and 6.54% rise in Male. These figures are
encouraging so far as Female literacy rate is
concerned. On the other hand the reduction in
female-male sex ratio 920 in 2001 from to 934 in
1991 gives an alarming signal.
In Gujarat, 64.64% of
villages are having more than 40% Female
Literacy. But a grim reality is that, out of
20056 villages/wards/towns, 116 villages are
having almost 0% Female literacy, 289 villages
are having less than 5% Female Literacy and 682
villages are having less than 10% Female
literacy.
On the national chart of
female literacy rate, Gujarat is on 21st rank,
while in Male literacy rate, its rank is 16th.
Here Kerala is at 1st rank and Bihar is on 35th
rank in both male and female literacy rate.
Within the state, the
Male-Female literacy gap (Gender gap) is 26.27%
in Rural area and 13.84% in Urban area. District
Dahod is has the lowest Female Literacy rate
while Ahmedabad has highest. In literacy, gender
gap is highest in Banaskantha (32.07%) and
lowest in district Navsari (14.16%). Compared to
1991, highest increase in Female literacy rate
(13.30%) is found in district Panchmahal and
lowest (2.54%) in district Gandhinagar.
When it comes to considering
literacy at block level, block Dhanpur in
district Dahod has the lowest Female literacy
rate (19.82%) and block Vadodara of district
Vadodara is at the top (78.65%). While looking
at Rural Female Literacy rate block
Chhota-Udepur in district Vadodara is at the
last position (14.93%) and block Jalalpor of
Navsari district is at the top (76.09%). In
Gender gap of literacy rate, block Jajalpor has
the least (10.90%) and block Tharad in
Banaskantha district has the highest (37.73%).
In Rural areas, again block Jalalpor has the
least (9.57%) and block Balasinor of Kheda
district is on the top (38.70%).
On the population side, 0-6
years population varies between 10.27%to 22.51%
of total population. Here the least is in Urban
area of block Chikli in Navsari district and the
most is in Rural area of block Dahod in Dahod
district.
Thus, as per the statistics
of census 2001, the 22.52% increase in total
population has been far greater than the 7.85%
increase in Literacy in Gujarat. It implies that
population explosion has been too large, too
fast and too wide for the state to provide
education coverage.
There is clearly a great need
for generating awareness about the importance of
primary education among the masses. The
awareness campaigns initiated under DPEP and SSA
must be sustained, with the direct participation
of local communities, self-help group,
youth-group and the intelligentsia, until the
UEE goals are achieved. Endeavors by the State
Government can only succeed with the support of
opinion-leaders and institutions working at
various strata of the society, who are fervently
appealed to join hands with the Govt. of
Gujarat. |
